Anne Darling recalls it as a “pinch me” moment.
Six years after becoming the owners of a Columbia County farm, she and husband David found themselves in Beverly Hills this September, mingling among the stars and sharing their handmade skincare and knitwear with guests during a “gifting suite” that brought together businesses to share their products with celebrities during Emmys Week.
“We brought 200 gift bags to the event. I think we gave out close to 150 of them. We talked to so many celebrities, news outlets and industry professionals,” said Darling, co-owner of The Farm at Catawissa Creek.
Another business owner extended the invitation to the Darlings to join her this year.
“She really connected with our story, and we had given out postcards with pictures of our garments and our sheep and of our herbal products, and she was very inspired,” Darling said.
“Our story is one of serendipity, and even getting there was, again, like one of these miraculous serendipitous events,” she said.
That story began in the rich soil of Pennsylvania.
‘Stewards’ of the land
The Darlings describe themselves as “stewards” of the 131-acre property, which they took over in 2020. It had been dormant since the 1960s.
David Darling accidentally ran into the previous owner prior to buying the property.
“For us all to have met is kind of one of these crazy serendipitous things,” he said.
The previous owners wanted a young farmer that would use sustainable methods to protect the surrounding ecosystem and preserve the land for future generations.
“Anyone farming on this has to be considerate of erosion and what they're putting onto the land and the potential of that going into the creek and affecting the ecosystem there and the animals and creatures that live in that body of water and downstream into the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake Bay, and eventually the ocean,” David Darling said.
Anne Darling previously worked as a fashion designer in New York City. She said she’s inspired by sustainable fashion and specialized in knitwear, which uses very little yarn for each garment and is considered reduced waste fashion.
Prioritizing sustainability
The COVID-19 pandemic led Anne Darling to move to the farm and start working on her project of sustainable fashion.
“He [David] had a vision of how we wanted to work with the animals to steward the land during his apprenticeship. He had gone to many different farms around Pennsylvania and seen different methods of using animals to work the land,” she said. “And one farm in particular that he did actually work at was a dairy farm, certified organic since 1989, 100% grass-fed, and it's all rotationally grazed.”
According to its website the farm maintains a flock of American Merino sheep, which are only fed living grass, not hay.
“We work to keep grass ‘stocked’ for winter which means not mowing after a certain point in late summer to ensure that there is enough for the flock to eat through the winter,” the website says.
Anne Darling started an herbal skincare line in addition to her high-end knitwear. The skincare line uses herbs grown and foraged on the farm. The Darlings said they do not use herbicides or pesticides on their plants. Anne Darling explained they do not use essential oils in the skincare.
“We take the plant and we infuse it into our base oils and fats using a heat extraction method. This makes the scents a lot lighter and more gentle, like you still smell the plant, but it smells more akin to actually picking the plant and smelling the plant instead of the potent smell that you get from an essential oil,” she said.
The Darlings described their products as a way for the consumers to feel grounded and close to nature.
“When we infuse that plant matter into your base oil and fat, because that plant is touching the oil directly, you're also getting some of that grounding essence from the plants,” Anne Darling said. “And then how this relates to the sheep is that our sheep are outside 100% of the time, 100% of the year. So their feet are always touching the soil, and that ground, those grounding frequencies are then in the wool.”
Sharing their products with Hollywood
The Farm at Catawissa Creek was among creative companies invited to participate in the Marianna Group’s Harvest Awards Week Experience, a gathering that brought together lifestyle brands and celebrity guests in Beverly Hills for a “gifting lounge.”
Founder Heather Marianna has said the events “can be game-changing for businesses looking to increase visibility and credibility.”
Some celebrities that received items from the Farm at Catawissa Creek include Ava Bianchi, Stacy Haiduk, Mark L. Walberg and Dale Dickey.
“We want to share the inspiration of if you have a dream or if you believe in something and want to create something, you just keep going, in this case, we are reimagining our relationship with the land through the products that we are offering,” Anne Darling said.