The Ritz-Carlton Dubai, JBR is partnering with Green Container Advanced Farming (GCAF) to launch a hyper-local on-site hydroponic farm, one of the first-ever vertical farms in Dubai.
The partnership is in-line with the country’s objective to ensure food security and sustainable farming practices. The container farm grows crops year-round with daily harvest reaching, depending on the crop, 10 kg of produce.
The vertical farm will be used to grow fine herbs such as Italian basil, Thai basil, rosemary as well as other leafy greens such as lettuce or Kale. It will ensure freshly-grown and hyper-local produce to be used in preparing dishes served in the property’s restaurants.
Jeroen Elmendorp, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, said in an interview with Cater Middle-East: “ At The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai, we are proud to be one of the first hotels in the region to provide our guests with sustainably grown, local produce from our innovative vertical farm, across our diverse F&B offerings. The significance of this launch is twofold; we are firstly supporting the UAE on its journey to increasing sustainability, while also enabling our guests to eat locally grown produce, which of course, is more environmentally friendly, but also superior in quality, as well as taste and freshness.”
As the first Marriott property in the region to establish a vertical farm, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai supports the UAE’s ambitious food security goals.
Such solutions enables to reduce the water consumption and eliminates the environmental restrictions of a region such as the middle-east. By harvesting a variety of herbs, microgreens, lettuce and other ingredients at the hydroponic facility, the hotel offers daily delivery of local produce.
Elmendorp added: “Looking forward, we aim to boost responsible operations, which involves placing sustainability at the heart of all that we do. I am confident the launch of our very own hydroponic facility will provide our guests with an incredible culinary experience, as we prepare cuisine bursting with flavour.”
