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Staff Editor

Maxim's Group Partners with Local Farm to Realize Healthy Circular Economy

美心集團夥拍鴻日農莊,推出全新「WeGen farming再生農業」計劃,利用善用餐前廚餘種植零農藥農產品
Maxim's Group promotes WeGen farming in collaboration with local farms to utilize pre-consumed food waste.

In a bustling city like Hong Kong, food waste has always been a major issue. But what if these discards could be turned into something beneficial? Maxim's Group has launched its groundbreaking "WeGen Farming" initiative, a project that transforms unconsumed food waste into agricultural enzymes to produce pesticide-free crops. Here's how they are achieving this goal and what it means for the local dining industry.


Reviving Food Waste to Grow Health

WeGen farming emerged as the Group’s vision of sustainability through "We" and "Regenerative (farming)". Since 2022, Maxim's Group has partnered with Hung Yat Farm in a pilot project, collecting pre-consumption food waste from Maxim's Group, including mango peels, soybean residue, coffee grounds, and eggshells, and converting them into enzymes used to enrich soil nutrition and prevent pests, producing zero-pesticide and zero-fertilizer agricultural products.

 

The amount of food waste supplied by Maxim's Group to Hung Yat Farm has been doubling annually since 2022, with an expected reach of 30 metric tons this year. With the increase in food waste and space, Hung Yat Farm can grow a wider variety of crops, including cherry tomatoes, salad greens, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, pumpkins, and bitter melons.



Mr. Wong Chin Ming, owner of the Hung Yat Farm, added that before the collaboration, the concept of regenerative farming was not well-known in the community, which hindered its development. Fortunately, with the support from Maxim's Group, which shares the farm’s vision by purchasing its harvest, the area under cultivation has expanded from approximately 40,000 square feet in 2022 to around 70,000 square feet in 2024. This expansion allows the farm to grow more WeGen crops with a more reliable supply of high-quality produce.

 

"Through this collaboration, I hope regenerative farming can continue to develop and transform the conventional farming practices in Hong Kong by promoting eco-friendly farming methods that use zero pesticides and zero chemical fertilizers, hence yielding high-quality farm produce." he said.

 

The area of farmland put into production has nearly doubled, agricultural products are more diversified, and the supply is more stable.
The farmland production has nearly doubled, products are more diversified, and the supply is more stable.

Sustainable Healthy Dining

Hung Yat Farm follows seasonal rhythms and uses environmentally friendly farming methods, which not only protect soil and water but also maintain the biodiversity of the farmland. Maxim's Group incorporates fresh produce from regenerative farming into its dishes, presenting customers with the natural nutrition and flavors of the ingredients while reducing carbon emissions generated during production and transportation.

 

Mr. Pippo Au, Head of Supply Chain of Maxim's Group, said that food waste is always a matter of widespread community concern and that Maxim’s Group is committed to integrating circular economy strategies into its business operations, creating a mutually beneficial situation with supply chain partners.

"We work very closely with Hung Yat Farm, conducting rounds of tests and trials on the types of food waste collected for use on the farm and accessing changes in crop flavours. Together, we overcome challenges in logistics and weather to ensure that the quality and quantity of the crops meet the Group's procurement requirements. Our ultimate goal is for the farm produce to meet the market’s and customers’ expectations for sustainable development and healthy dining, while also creating business opportunities through the circular economy."


美心集團供Mr. Pippo Au, Head of Supply Chain of Maxim's Group (right) and Mr. Wong Chin Ming, owner of the Hung Yat Farm (left).
Mr. Wong Chin Ming, owner of Hung Yat Farm (left) and Mr. Pippo Au, Maxim's Head of Supply Chain

Support from Nearly 70 Restaurants Under Maxim's Group

To promote local agricultural products, the group's chefs have continually communicated with the farm regarding the size, taste, and characteristics of the agricultural products to achieve the best flavors. Currently, the public can enjoy a series of dishes featuring these agricultural products at nearly 70 restaurants under Maxim's Group, including The Square, 818 The Seafood, COVA, simplylife, Nakameguro Rooftop, Bibimbap from Obihiro, Fish Spring, Yakiniku Ishidaya, Yakiniku Kagura, Maxim's MX, can.teen, Maxim's Food2, Deli-O, and Starbucks, offering Chinese, Western, and Japanese cuisine.


Wild Fungi and Toasted Feta Cheese Salad served in simplylife.
Wild Fungi and Toasted Feta Cheese Salad served in simplylife.
Roasted Hormone-free Chicken and Curly Lettuce Caesar Salad” served in Simplylife.
Roasted Hormone-free Chicken and Curly Lettuce Caesar Salad” served in Simplylife.

"We are committed to offering customers a decent and cozy dining experience, which includes healthy and delicious cuisine. The WeGen farming project aligns perfectly well with our operational philosophy. When designing our menus, our primary goal is to deliver the original taste and nutrition of the food ingredients to our customers." said Ms. Candy Tse, Head of m.a.x. Concepts and COVA of Maxim's Group.

 

Mr. Thomas Fan, Head of Quick Service Restaurants of Maxim's Group, also plans to incorporate WeGen crops into the fast-food menus. "We are exploring ways to create dishes with crops from Hung Yat Farm. Our hope is to continuously offer a diverse range of healthy and value-for-money meals to more customers through our extensive network of fast food chain restaurants."


Encouraging Participation and Community Interaction

Maxim's Group also promotes WeGen farming regenerative agriculture internally and has organized seven farm visits with Hung Yat Farm, inviting over 100 employees from different departments to personally experience the project. They also sell agricultural products from Hung Yat Farm internally to help employees understand the environmental concept of WeGen farming regenerative agriculture, which has received enthusiastic support from colleagues.


Hung Yat Farm, founded 15 years ago in San Tin, Yuen Long, operates an experimental aquaponics farm covering 220,000 square feet.
Hung Yat Farm, founded 15 years ago, operates an experimental aquaponics farm covering 220,000 sq. ft.
Hung Yat Farm maintains low-density fish ponds, with only about a thousand fish per pond. Combined with the use of enzymes to regulate fish and environmental health, this ensures the fish are delicious and free of muddy taste.
Fish ponds with low density, combined with the use of enzymes to regulate fish and environmental health.

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