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Growing Food for Workplace Catering
A large corporate occupier wanted to introduce a highly visible Farmwall into its 10-storey central London workplace, growing fresh produce that could be used by the onsite kitchen while also supporting sustainability, education and employee wellbeing.
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Square Mile Farms designed a six-metre hydroponic Farmwall next to the main lunch area, with the crop plan developed around the Head Chef's requirements. Rather than simply providing a decorative feature, the Farm grows ingredients selected specifically for use within a busy catering operation serving thousands of people each day.
The challenge:
Combining impact with
food production
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The Farm needed to make a visual impact while working as a productive growing space. It's located in an area of high footfall, so it had to be carefully integrated into the space without interrupting people accessing the salad bar.
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The planting needed to balance reliable hydroponic growing with the needs of the kitchen, with the workplace catering operation serving around 5,000 people a day.
The solution:
A six-metre Farmwall designed
around the kitchen
We installed a six-metre hydroponic Farmwall alongside the main lunch area. The location puts year-round food production directly alongside the workplace's catering operation, while making the Farm visible to employees.
The crop plan was developed in collaboration with the Head Chef, with crops including kale, varieties of basil, chard and pak choi, alongside smaller quantities of lemon balm and lettuce.
Growing what the chefs need​
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Rather than working with a fixed selection of crops, Square Mile Farms can adapt the growing plan in response to the chef's requirements.
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When the Head Chef requested perilla – an aniseed-flavoured herb used for garnishing – our team developed a specialist growing plan to introduce the crop successfully. This allows the Farm to respond to menu development and gives the kitchen access to a broader range of freshly harvested ingredients.
From Farmwall to kitchen
The Farm creates a direct connection between food production and workplace catering.
Produce can be harvested just metres from where it is used, reducing the distance between growing and kitchen and allowing chefs to work with crops at their freshest.
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For the catering team, this can mean less wastage, longer-lasting ingredients and reduced reliance on some wholesale purchases. And chefs can incorporate specific crops with their menus.
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Making food production visible
The Farmwall is positioned in one of the busiest areas of the workplace, so employees encounter food growing as part of their everyday routine.
Its scale makes it a prominent feature while also creating opportunities for harvests, employee engagement and conversations about where food comes from and how it is grown.
This allows one installation to support several objectives at once: food production, sustainability, employee wellbeing, education and workplace experience.
Could a bespoke office Farm work in your project?
This type of installation could be relevant if you're:
A food services team looking to grow fresh ingredients onsite and develop a crop plan around the needs of your chefs and menus.
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A corporate occupier looking for a visible initiative that brings together food, sustainability, wellbeing and employee engagement.
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A workplace design team looking to integrate large-scale productive biophilia into a busy catering or communal space.
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A facilities team looking to introduce onsite growing without placing responsibility for crop care and maintenance on the internal team.
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An asset manager looking for a distinctive amenity that combines food production, sustainability and workplace experience.
