“Let's talk about fast food...junk food...overly processed food... It's always available, quick and convenient. It's easy... Why don't we see healthy options in the same light? We want to prove that the future of fresh food production can and is evolving to be more sustainable and accessible,” says Jessica Fong, the founder and CEO of Common Farms, an indoor farming company based in Hong Kong.
The display
Common Farms was invited to collaborate with Nespresso and K11 MUSEA. The latter is a modern shopping mall with a mission to enhance people's daily lives through creativity, culture and innovation. Together, the three parties have been working on a project to demonstrate how fresh produce can be grown locally for restaurants inside the mall and for the attached Rosewood Hotel.
“This makes the produce as fresh as possible for consumers, while also reducing the carbon footprint by reducing the transport mileage. We also incorporate the coffee spent from Nespresso products in our grow medium. The shared value of sustainability is first and foremost on the agenda in each step of the process,” explains Jessica.
The Common Farms team
Providing a “full sensory experience of indoor farming”
As Jessica explains, the goal of putting indoor farming on display at K11 Musea was to bring the experience of the farm directly to the consumer. For most people living in extremely urban areas of Hong Kong, their food sources are typically far removed from sight and mind.
By bringing cultivation closer to consumers, Common Farms wants to “give a full sensory experience of the possibilities of indoor farming and show that the future of food production is evolving to be more accessible and ultimately sustainable using technology to reduce the burden on water and electricity”.
“This collaboration showcases organic quality food being grown in the same location as the restaurants people eat in. There is no stronger way to raise awareness than to be directly in front of the consumer, leading by example,” says Jessica.
All of the produced grown by Common Farms is used in weekly workshops and sold to the restaurants inside the shopping mall and the adjacent rosewood hotel. Common Farms also has a number of ongoing in-house projects as well as initiatives with corporate partners to further build the case for locally-produced, quality fresh food through indoor farming in Hong Kong.
For more information:
Jessica Fong, founder and CEO
Common Farms
https://commonfarms.com