Design Philosophy

Our gardens blend seamlessly with South Florida's natural and rugged beauty. They are inspired by nature, featuring seasonal blooms and tropical fruits. We create spaces that feel both wild and inviting, emphasizing biodiversity and ecological balance. Our approach uses native, drought-tolerant, and edible plants to support local wildlife and create dynamic, nourishing gardens. We design to encourage exploration and wonder, fostering a deep connection between people and nature.

History

Little River Cooperative is a plant project owned and operated by Muriel Olivares and Tiffany Noe, located in Miami Florida. Since we started on this growing journey over 10 years ago our farming project has taken on many forms based on the needs of our community & ourselves. We started this journey as a very small urban farm, growing vegetables organically for 20 families on a vacant lot in Little River. When we saw a need for plants, so that people could grow their own produce at home, we built a plant nursery where people could shop for culinary plant and gardening supplies. When those same people came to us asking for help in their home gardens, we started building and maintaining gardens in homes and restaurants throughout Miami. Since we started out as farmers, we were able to apply much of our plant knowledge to private gardens in a way that guaranteed success for our clients. As our plant nursery & gardening services grew, we moved out of farming produce and into providing those services and education for our community.

More than 15 years after we started our first small farm plot we have moved our location 4 times, hosted more than 80 educational workshops, been to the farmers market 230 times, installed about 400 gardens, donated 32,000 plants to non profits, amassed a combined 25 years of experience growing food in South Florida, and we had 3 children! 

In 2020 we moved our nursery to a 5 acre property in the Redland that we share with our farm partner, French Farms. While we know the Redland can feel very far away, we hope that our presence in the Redland opened up exploration of that area to you all. This spring our property in the Redland is being sold, so while we don’t know what the future holds for us, or where we will set up shop next, you can count on us to continue building & tending gardens and educating our community about the importance of growing your own food.

Empowering people through connections with food and ecology.

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Empowering people through connections with food and ecology. 🌱

Mission

We are a female led team of farmers, growers & educators, a.k.a. “Plant Nerds”, focused on sharing our love of and passion for useful plants with our community. Over the last 12 years we have become a central resource for all things relating to growing food in South Florida. We strive to be examples of how individuals can make a difference in their urban environment by sharing resources on composting, suburban backyard food gardening, growing & making plant medicine and becoming more resilient community members in the process.

Our customers are sustainability minded city dwellers who are interested in getting their hands dirty, and deepening their relationship with the sacred art of growing food. They are people who see the value in teaching the next generation of earthlings about the importance of organic farming & caring for the environment. They are community members who see the magic in watching a seed turn into a plant which then turns into a tomato and wants to share it just like we do.

We teach people about growing & gardening in our tropical climate in a clear and approachable way so that they can  easily digest large complex ideas about the environment and integrate those lessons into their gardens and lives. Our expertise is focused on this special climate and its challenges and complexities, making us as unique in the gardening world as our climate is in the continental US.

Meet the Team

  • Tiffany Noe

    founder / head of nursery operations

  • Muriel Olivares

    founder / head of services operations

  • Juliane Miklos

    nursery retail manager

  • Camilla Robyn

    nursery technician

  • Sol Delgado

    Plant Advocate

  • Michaela Roque

    Gardener