Meet the people that make Coldwater Gardens happen! We are lucky to have such interesting, outgoing people with unique talents on our team. The one thing that we all share is a passion for sustainable living. You’ll find that our staff is highly dedicated and knowledgeable in their respective fields and excited to talk about their experiences.

Ashley Moore

Ashley brings her ever-evolving skills and know-how to the edible landscapes at Coldwater Gardens. Ashley often leads public workshops and happily teaches her tricks of the trade. She is continually expanding upon her solid education and is actively pursuing her Environmental Sciences degree. Ashley is a hands-on learner and explorer of the botanical realm where she manages the sensory gardens, production gardens, greenhouse, mushroom garden, and apiary. Twice a week, she feeds the people of Milton and Pensacola with the organically grown goodness from our gardens.

Jeremy Hebb

Jeremy has been here since the early days of Coldwater Gardens. Taking lead with the construction and development aspects of our property, Jeremy spends much his time in the field helping Coldwater Gardens fulfil it’s long term goals. Jeremy’s not afraid to get the job done no matter what it is. In addition to helping revive the surrounding forests, Jeremy also maintains the mechanics and daily operations of our aquaponics system and manages the game birds and chickens. Jeremy is an endless source of information about local ecology, forest stewardship, construction, and the mission of Coldwater Gardens.

Lucas Furman

Lucas grew up just around the corner from Coldwater Gardens and is very knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and community in this part of Santa Rosa County. He is skilled in wielding any tool on the property and full of exciting ideas for design and growth. Lucas works with us part time between pursuing his degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of West Florida. Lucas’s light hearted personality and the “beyond his years knowledge” make him a joy and interest to work with. Lucas is forestry burn certified and is happy to lead burns and comment on the science of forestry management.

Michael Ritter

Natalia Giacomini-Ritter

Originally from Brazil, Natalia spent almost a decade in Toronto before relocating to Pensacola and starting her family. It has been the dream of Natalia and her husband Michael to start a project like Coldwater Gardens for well over a decade and the opportunity finally arrived with the purchase of the Coldwater property in mid 2007. Since then Natalia has been a driving force who mainly works behind the scenes. She  takes care of the paperwork necessary to run Coldwater Gardens and keeps us in compliance with our certifications. Natalia’s vibrant personality is a true asset in her work as sales representative to local restaurants, chefs, markets, and buyers’ clubs. She’s a natural communicator who maintains our excellent relationships with local farms, expert architects, and like-minded individuals. You’ll see Natalia and little Sofia around the property weekly, helping harvest vegetables, plant seedlings and plan the garden design.