To achieve this, over the course of the pandemic, the team, led by general manager Ruben Dario Gabino, has been converting an unused plot of land belonging to the hotel into an organic farm. Today, the 8,000 sq m Iris Farm produces some 1,300kg of food per month with a haul that include figs, bananas, papayas, asparagus, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.
The resort also houses a hydroponic garden that produces greens such as lettuce, coriander and spring onion and a mushroom farm within its Botanikka Eco Cafe. All this produce is distributed through the hotel’s various F&B outlets, including upscale steakhouse Jahn, casual Mediterranean joint Azure Bar & Grill and Thai restaurant Zest.
“Normally, when we buy vegetables in the supermarket or from a supplier, the product is harvested before it is mature, then travels for weeks and is stored in various refrigeration systems until it is finally delivered to you,” said Gabino.
“The products from Iris Farm are harvested only once they are fully mature and are used in our restaurants on the very same day they are picked. There is a vast difference between a month-old product and one harvested at the right time and used on the same day.”
Source: CNA
