We (Tanner and Larisa) met in college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo on the sunny Central Coast. We shared a deep love and connection to nature, and a strong desire to cultivate a life rooted in old traditions of family, community, country living, and a slower pace of life.
Excited to start our grand adventure of life together, we got married at 23 years old in 2023. Larisa was about to become a licensed Registered Dietitian after 6 years of studying Nutrition and Spanish, yet was still feeling curious about where food really comes from, and also feeling led away from a fully indoors career and lifestyle. Tanner, after studying Biomedical Engineering as a pathway towards Medical School, realized he also did not want to work indoors and felt God calling him to a life prioritizing family and community over career. The dream of farming soon sprouted and, looking back, we can see clearly how God tugged on our heartstrings to orchestrate this whole crazy, wonderful adventure.
As newlyweds, we sought adventure and agricultural experience to explore how we might want to start a farm of our own someday, whether for profit or simply personal enjoyment. Just after getting married, we were blessed with the opportunity to work and live on a coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii for 6 months. This time confirmed our interest in agriculture but also clarified our desire to be closer to family as well as not wanting to produce a monoculture (the work can be quite repetitive). Upon returning to Sonoma County in CA, Tanner worked for a local organic vegetable and flower farm to gain experience in intensive farming and learn about the local market culture. Larisa started taking sustainable agriculture classes at the Santa Rosa Junior College while also utilizing her license for part-time work as a Dietitian. These experiences gave us the resources and support network we needed to pursue our dream, opening our own farm the following year!
Our farm, Sparrows and Lilies, is on ½ acre just outside of Sebastopol on Tanner’s family property. The 4-acre property had been a vegetable farm until 1937, when it was converted to a chicken ranch until the 1960’s. We are thrilled to continue the agricultural traditions of this land as a part of the thriving farming community in Sonoma County.
We are so thankful to our community of supporters and are excited to share our journey with you as Sparrows and Lilies grows!
