Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil & Christina Cooper.
Hi Neil & Christina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My husband, our boys, and I have always loved being outdoors—whether that’s out on the water, in the woods, hunting, fishing, or simply exploring together. About four years ago, that love for the outdoors slowly turned into a new way of looking at the things we were bringing into our home.
As we started learning more about what was in some of our foods and personal products, we wanted to make a few changes and “clean things up” a little for ourselves and our boys. We began experimenting and making things for personal use—homemade bread, jerky, beautyberry jelly from berries we gathered, soap from animals we hunted, and even sea salt from the ocean.
It started as a fun family learning experience and a way to become a little more connected to the things we used and consumed. Along the way, our family and friends started trying our sea salt and giving us such wonderful feedback that we began gifting it to others.
Just over a year ago, in April, we decided to take a leap and test it out at local markets. We honestly had no idea where it would lead, but we quickly fell in love with the entire process—from collecting the ocean water and learning how to properly clean and filter it, to dehydrating it and experimenting with different techniques to create those beautiful pyramid-like-shapes and flakes.
After a lot of learning and experimenting, we now have a system that we’re really proud of. We’ve also had so much fun creating and designing Flor Da Salt and building the Native & Salty brand.
For us, this has been about much more than just salt. It has been an opportunity to learn, create, grow, and build something together as a family. We hope to continue learning and growing along the way, but most importantly, we’re enjoying the journey. Building a family business and getting the chance to work alongside each other has truly been a blast.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say it has been completely smooth, but honestly, that has been part of the fun. There has definitely been a lot of trial and error along the way.
Figuring out the process of making sea salt consistently was one of our first challenges. There was a lot of research, experimenting, and learning involved, but with every batch we learned something new. Over time, we have developed a process that works well for us and that we are really proud of.
Packaging has also been a challenge. We have spent a lot of time trying to find and create the perfect packaging that reflects our brand and the natural, clean look we envision for Flor Da Salt. We are still evolving and making changes, but we feel like we are getting closer and closer to exactly what we want.
Another challenge has been keeping up with growth. As demand has increased, we have had to figure out how to increase our batch sizes while still maintaining the quality and attention to detail that are important to us.
We are still learning as we go, and I think that is probably something that will never stop. Every challenge has taught us something, and looking back, those little hiccups have helped us get to where we are today.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Native & Salty?
Native & Salty is our family business, built around our love for the outdoors, creativity, and making things with our own hands. Flor Da Salt is our signature sea salt brand, but Native & Salty represents the bigger picture of who we are and the things we love to create.
Our main focus right now is Flor Da Salt, where we create small-batch sea salts using ocean water and a process we have spent years learning and refining. From collecting and filtering the water to creating the final flakes, every batch is something we are personally involved in from beginning to end. We offer our pure flake sea salt along with a variety of flavored and seasonal salts.
What we feel sets us apart is that this truly started as something we were doing for ourselves and our family. It grew naturally from our lifestyle and our love of learning where things come from and how they are made. We are not a large company trying to create a story around a product—our story came first, and the business grew from it.
We are also proud that Native & Salty is a family business in every sense of the word. My husband and I work together, and our boys have been part of the journey as well. There is something really special about building something from the ground up as a family and watching an idea slowly become a real brand.
Brand-wise, I think what I am most proud of is seeing our vision come to life. From creating Flor Da Salt and designing our packaging to meeting customers at local markets, every piece has been a learning experience. We have worked hard to create a brand that feels natural, clean, coastal, and true to who we are.
While Flor Da Salt is our main focus right now, Native & Salty gives us room to continue growing and exploring other things we love to create in the future. We don’t want to limit ourselves—we want to keep learning, creating, and seeing where this journey takes us.
Most of all, we want people to know that there are real people and a real family behind every product. We are still learning, growing, and figuring things out as we go, but we genuinely love what we do. We hope that when someone picks up one of our products, they can feel a little bit of the love, creativity, and passion that went into creating it.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is family, time together, and creating a life that feels meaningful. My husband, my boys, and the memories we make together are at the center of everything I do.
I think that is a big part of why Native & Salty means so much to me. It is more than just building a business—it has given us the opportunity to learn, create, and work together as a family. Our love for being outdoors, spending time on the water and in the woods, and simply trying new things is what helped inspire this entire journey.
I also value authenticity. I want the things we create and the brand we build to truly reflect who we are. We are still learning as we go, and we certainly don’t have everything figured out, but everything we do comes from a genuine place.
At the end of the day, success is wonderful, and we hope Native & Salty continues to grow, but what matters most is that we enjoy the journey. Life moves quickly, and being able to spend time with the people I love while building something together is something I am incredibly grateful for.
I hope that years from now, when we look back on this adventure, we remember not only the business we built, but all of the memories, lessons, laughter, and time we shared along the way.
Pricing:
- Our products generally range from around $10 to $45, depending on the product, size, and packaging. Each bag, jar, and flavor takes time to create, and we put a lot of care into every step of the process. From creating our sea salt to developing our different flavors, we focus on using fresh, quality ingredients whenever possible. We also try to source locally when we can, which is something that is important to us as a small, local business. Because our products are created in small batches, there is a lot of time and attention behind each one. We want to offer something that not only tastes great but also reflects the care, creativity, and quality that go into everything we make.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nativeandsalty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativeandsalty/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NativeAndSalty
