New partnership boosts Chiang Mai Hotel’s organic farming initiative

April 8, 2024

Meliá Chiang Mai has joined forces with a new sustainable and chemical-free farm to source the likes of rare, local greens, cage-free eggs and sterilised fresh milk, expanding its ‘360° Cuisine’ program.

In a bid to work closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and encourage ethical production to ultimately make the overall food system more resilient, the hotel has formed a partnership with organic gourmet farm Rong Khum in San Pa Tong.

The hotel sources organic Jasmine rice, cage-free eggs, fresh organic milk free of added hormones, vegetables such as betel leaves, coriander, spring onion, star gooseberry and chili, and fruits including longan, lychee, papaya, dragon fruit and bananas from Rong Khum for guests’ meals at Mai Restaurant & Bar, Laan Na Kitchen, MAI The Sky Bar and Ruen Kaew Lounge.

Chiang Mai University Professor Dr Puangrat Kaewlom, who comes from a long line of farmers and is passionate about research into sustainable agriculture, established Rong Khum about two years ago. The farm joins the hotel’s network of ethical and chemical-free suppliers including gourmet farm SEED in San Sai District and Jartisann’s Original Thai Cheese, which crafts artisanal cheese made from high-quality, locally sourced raw cow’s milk.

The network is a central plank in Meliá Chiang Mai’s ‘360° Cuisine’ program, designed to reduce the hotel’s carbon footprint and promote healthy eating. Under the program, the hotel sources ‘farm to plate’ organic produce that travels only a short distance. As much of each ingredient is used – roots, leaves, stems, stalks and more – in a ‘thoughtful cooking process’ before ‘plate to farm’ food waste returns to the farms as fertilizer in a truly 360° concept. Leftover cooking oil is sent to be recycled into biodiesel.

Since the 360° Cuisine program’s inception in 2022, the hotel has sent more than 3300kg of leftover food for compost and fertilizer to both farms and more than 660kg of cooking oil to a biodiesel producer.

Meliá Chiang Mai’s executive chef Suksant ‘Billy’ Chutinthratip, commented “it’s no easy feat to operate a chemical-free farm and it’s more expensive to support sustainable agriculture.

“Yet we believe it’s crucial to engage directly with local farmers, producers, professors and health sector professionals to create a unique connection within the community that ultimately benefits the health of our guests, our community and our environment.”

Meliá Chiang Mai also ushers guests onto SEED and Rong Khum to meet local farmers and learn more about sustainable farming and healthier eating, as part of its Journey to the Farm Package.

The hotel was recently awarded the ‘Chiang Mai Green Kitchen’ certificate for a second year and the new ‘Sustainable Healthy Food Program’ certificate from Thai Health Promotion Foundation and Chiang Mai University in recognition of its efforts to go above and beyond to implement sustainable practices in its kitchens and contribute to healthy food practices in Chiang Mai.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has also certified the hotel with a ‘Five-Star Sustainable Tourism Acceleration Rating’.

Images: Meliá Chiang Mai’s executive chef Suksant 'Billy' Chutinthratip at organic gourmet farm Rong Khum in San Pa Tong (top) and Meliá Chiang Mai has joined forces with sustainable and chemical-free farm Rong Khum to source the likes of rare, local greens, cage-free eggs and sterilised fresh milk, expanding its ‘360° Cuisine’ program (below).

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