Brisbane hotel becomes city’s first ‘macrofarm’
Unused hotel space has been transformed into a zero-carbon food hub delivering fresh produce straight to restaurants.
Brisbane has welcomed its first “macrofarm” to bring food production closer to consumers.
Urban agriculture company Greenspace unveiled its macro and micro farms at Amora Hotel in the CBD, after expanding across Sydney and Melbourne.
Their vertical farming model targets high-end hospitality venues, and allows edible flowers, herbs and leafy greens to be grown on-site in rows of vertically-stacked planter boxes.
Over about 10 days, seeds are propagated, germinated and harvested.
The Macrofarm at Amora Hotel Brisbane will grow micro greens, herbs, lettuces and Australian natives onsite.
Greenspace founder and CEO Peter Fox said the expansion represented a broader change where companies are moving beyond sustainability as just a concept.
“We’re shifting from a framework where buildings simply consume resources, to one where they actively produce them as well,” Fox said.
“It’s a model that makes both commercial and environmental sense for some of our customers like Amora, Sofitel, the Greenbank SC and W hotel.”
He added that by embedding networked food production into a community, supply chain reliance is being reduced while nutrition, consistency and quality are improved.
The Greenspace model allows for hyperlocal supply to reduce food miles and transport emissions, while using up to 95 percent less water than traditional farming methods.
The Macrofarms also produce at least four times more produce within the same footprint, reducing spoilage and packaging waste and removing the need for chemical pesticides or sprays.
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Amora general manager John Bristowe said the Greenspace Urban farm was reshaping how the hotel approached both sustainability and food operations.
“Sustainability is an important part of our hotel’s ongoing journey, and working alongside Greenspace allows us to further embrace ideas that are practical, purposeful and aligned with the future of hospitality,” Bristowe said.
“This collaboration is a wonderful example of how businesses can work together to create something meaningful for guests, visitors and the wider Brisbane community.”
Greenspace launched their first Macrofarm in Sydney in 2021, which included a dedicated edible flower farm followed by a second Macrofarm in Melbourne’s Southbank.
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