The Great Catsby Herb Cartel: Herbs, whimsy, and a backyard full of magic

• In West Point, Michael Williams has created a garden that makes people want to linger a little longer, breathe a little deeper, and maybe go home and plant something of their own.

There’s a little corner of West Point where rosemary spills toward the sidewalk, pollinators drift lazily through the air, and two cats help run an herbal empire.

It’s called The Great Catsby Herb Cartel, a place where herbs and whimsy grow together to create a backyard world built with intention and joy.

Owned and operated by West Point native and filmmaker-turned-herbalist Michael Williams, The Great Catsby Herb Cartel isn’t in a trendy storefront. Instead, it thrives in Williams’ backyard, where herbs, flowers, vegetables, native plants, teas, skincare, and imagination grow together.

Or as Williams prefers to call it, “a world I actually want to live in.”

“Too many people are using their energy to create a world I don’t want to live in,” Williams told me. “So I’m using mine to create a world that I do.”

And somehow, standing in the middle of his garden, that philosophy makes perfect sense.

The first thing you notice about Williams is that he doesn’t really separate creativity from everyday life. Gardening, filmmaking, writing, herbalism, storytelling—it all seems to live in the same ecosystem for him. One feeds the other.

For nearly two decades, Williams worked in film production, writing and directing projects through his own company after getting his start as a teenager at Oak Hill Academy in West Point. But after years in the industry, burnout quietly settled in.

“In 2023, the film industry was struggling. I just needed to take a step back and do something creative for myself. Gardening was a way to recover and to get my creativity back,” he said.

That step back turned into something much bigger.

What began with rosemary plants and a personal health journey eventually transformed into a full-fledged business built around herbal teas, specialty seasonings, natural skincare products, and what Williams lovingly describes as “whimsy.”

He incorporates this sense of playfulness into every aspect of his work.

There are herbal trading cards, tiny apothecary ideas, garden gatherings, and pop-up events that celebrate overlooked plants. Williams even hosted a “Cleaver Cling” for the weed cleavers, a plant most people try to eradicate.

He laughed while explaining it.

“Everybody hates it, but I wanted people to come explore it and take some home and use it,” he said.

That’s the thing about The Great Catsby Herb Cartel. It invites people to rethink the ordinary, finding beauty, rest, and creativity in the simple things we often overlook.

Williams jokes that he’s “just a Mississippi hobbit,” but honestly, the description fits.

“I’m a writer, I’m a creative, and I go off and do my adventures when I have to,” he said. “Then I come back and hide away in my shire and create a peaceful little world and try to share it with people.”

The “cartel” itself is reportedly run by Williams and his two cats, Gouda and Topher, whom he refers to as his “sun and moon.”

Gouda, his orange cat, serves as “Chief of Security, Master of Vibeology, and Self-Care Czar,” while Topher, his black-and-white companion, holds the titles “Minister of Chill, Baron of Cuddles, and Dream Hatcher.”

Williams says this with complete sincerity.

Gouda wandered into Williams’ life around the same time the business launched and quickly became his constant gardening companion.

“He’s my ride or die,” Williams said. “He’s out here working with me every day.”

And yes, customers absolutely lean into the magic of it all.

Locals in the region have embraced the business, especially after a recent rebrand that focused on hand-drawn artwork and a more personal touch.

Williams says he wanted the opposite of mass production and artificial perfection.

“I’m very anti-AI,” he said. “I’m so tired of using a computer and electronics.”

Instead, he grows with purpose.

Everything in the garden has a role, whether it supports pollinators, becomes part of a tea blend, flavors a seasoning mix, or simply creates a softer, more beautiful environment.

“I grow everything that has a purpose,” he explained.

That sense of purpose isn’t just about products; it’s about inspiring a new way of seeing the world, right from the backyard.

Williams hopes his garden encourages people to rethink the obsession with perfectly manicured lawns and endless mowing schedules. He’d rather see flowers than grass. Herbs instead of empty landscaping.

“If you don’t want to mow your grass, rip it up and plant flowers,” he said. “Why deny the world more blooms and more color?”

Honestly, it’s hard to argue with him.

Especially when he’s planting mint beside the sidewalk simply because he wants strangers walking past to catch the smell on a warm Mississippi afternoon.

That generosity feels deeply Mississippi, almost old-fashioned. My memories of picking mint as a child echo the moments Williams now creates for passersby. 

Like grandparents growing mint in coffee cans. Like neighbors sharing tomato harvests over fences. Like learning the scent of rosemary before you ever knew what rosemary was.

And maybe that’s the real magic of The Great Catsby Herb Cartel. Not just the teas or the herbs or even the whimsy of it all, but the reminder that some of the most meaningful places are grown slowly, by hand, right in somebody’s backyard. In West Point, Michael Williams has created a garden that makes people want to linger a little longer, breathe a little deeper, and maybe go home and plant something of their own.