Issue 16
One Thai resort is leading the way in culinary techniques aimed at securing the long-term future of both the industry and our climate.
The Aleenta Hua Hin-Pranburi Resort and Spa has long been at the forefront of the Thai eco resort scene. Committed to keeping a minimal carbon footprint, it has kept its promise by making furniture from reconstructed local wood and hammock netting handmade by local fishermen, as well as recycling its waste water to irrigate the garden and the resort’s local organic farm. Additionally, over 90% of the resort’s staff come from within 30 kilometres of the property, ensuring that everything stays local and that the resort gives back to the people and place it inhabits.
Now the Aleenta has launched a new industry-leading initiative called Carbon Free Cooking, in which produce gets sourced from the resort’s farm, and solar ovens, smoke houses and techniques based on molecular cooking ensure that its carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.
Creator of the carbon free cooking initiative is James Noble, the Michelin-star chef and Resident Manager of the resort, who created the organic farm and designs the gourmet menus at the Aleenta’s esteemed Cellar restaurant. “You can do things differently and succeed while also being environmentally friendly,” says Noble. “Sustainability is at the core of who we are as a resort, and it's great when you can combine that with an enhanced guest experience."
Director of Brand & Communications for the Aleenta Eugene Oelofse is quick to add that an initiative like this is not for everyone. “Low carbon projects are not financially driven,” he says. “We have to harvest everything by hand, we use no pesticides, and it takes a lot to rotate growing to have enough for the menu. Commercial farming is far cheaper and less labour intensive, but in the end, the carbon product is the one that shines.”
The Aleenta’s garden to table cooking process is really quite simple, yet totally innovative. The resort grows its vegetables in a community garden, where visitors can pick freely in exchange for replanting a seed as a way of paying forward. All of the farm’s vegetables and smoked meat gets transferred to the resort kitchen by bicycle or a tuk-tuk powered by fuel made from other local resorts’ disposed cooking oil. Once in the kitchen, the chefs work their magic using slow cooking and creative natural techniques.
An example is the standout salted beef ceviche, where a banana leaf-wrapped local beef fillet is rubbed in salt and then marinated for two days with fresh herbs and spices. Following this it is served with ginger and two-week air dried tomatoes. Local fish, like sea bass, is also used in another stellar creation, in which the bass is solar baked and then served with ground fermented kimchi, preserved lemons and sesame mayonnaise. Other cooking techniques and dishes include clay pots buried in the hot sand on the beach, solar baked cakes cooked in wooden boxes lined with foil, and steamed seawater seaweed.
As Europe, North America and Australia moves towards more eco-friendly tourism initiatives, many tourists are becoming more discerning in their travel selections. In such a green climate, approaches like the Aleenta’s may bear fruit in the future.
Words by Dave Stamboulis
Issue 15
Already the number one exporter in the region, Thailand’s sugar industry is using innovation to secure its global market position.
Mention innovation and your mind may well turn to modern equipment, gadgets or high tech products. But it is needed in a host of more traditional industries and agro-industries in order to boost competitiveness.
Sugar is one such industry. Export revenues in 2013 amounted to US$2.8 billion, placing Thailand second globally behind Brazil. Key export countries include Japan, South Korea, China and ASEAN. Faced with the dual challenge of oversupply and low prices, producers are forced to explore possible opportunities to add value to their products. In many countries competitiveness is maintained through diversification, for example dry sugar in Belgium or sugar being transformed into flour substitute in Australia. Thailand’s sugar industry maintains its market position through higher productivity.
“We focus on creating innovation and developing cane growing technology to cut production costs as well as enhance environmental friendly procedures,” says Worrawat Sriyook, Vice-President Marketing Strategy of Mitr Phol Sugar Corporation, one of Thailand’s leading sugar millers. “Several innovations were created to lead to new business opportunities and sustainable social development.”
Research and innovation is essential in order to meet international standards and expand business opportunities. “Our innovative product is Mitr Phol Syrup made from 100% cane syrup to enhance beverage and cooking as well as help time and energy saving,” he adds.
This product won The Best Value Creation Award 2012: Gold on Ready to Eat and Food Ingredient from Creative Food Product Contest 2010 organised by the Department of Export Promotion, the forerunner to the DITP. Mitr Phol has also developed a range of flavoured and aromatic syrups from natural cane sugar. “Now we have caramel, hazelnut, vanilla and fruit flavours such as lychee, strawberry, blueberry and blue citrus,” says Sriyook.
Issue 13th: 29 Sept 2014
Education about basic rights and the rule of law is how the Thai government and employers manage migrant workers.
Migrant workers are protected by labour rights in Thailand.
Despite recent adverse media publicity, Thailand is still an attractive destination for migrant workers, claims Dr Poj Aramwattananont, president of Thai Frozen Foods Association.
While they might find employment in their own country hard to come by, migrant workers can find work, whether skilled and unskilled,easily enough in Thailand. This is especially so for workers from neighbouring countries – Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia – who can freely cross the border into Thailand. Language barriers present no problem as the common culture and lifestyle makes communication simple.
“Thai entrepreneurs are also pleased to accommodate them,” says Dr Aramwattananont. “So the only thing migrant workers are required to do is to understand their rights and the law in this country in order to honourably live here.”
Dr Aramwattananont adds that migrant workers are protected by labour rights in Thailand, where they receive annual health check-ups amongst over benefits.
“Employers are also concerned about the workforce’s standard of living,” claims DrAramwattananont. “In cooperation with relevant foundations like the Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation (LPN) and the Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN), they rent out clean and comfortable accommodation for migrant workers at reasonable prices to avoid them [living] in filthy and non-standard areas.”
Issue 14: 31 October 2014
Thailand has a growing reputation as a great location for international films, but as the head of the Thailand Film Office notes, there is much more to the country than just a pretty face.
Hundreds of foreign films have been shot in Thailand over the years as the country becomes ever more popular as a movie making destination. Global producers are drawn to the kingdom by its unique combination of beautiful natural backdrops, high expertise and low costs, according to the head of the Thai film industry.
“The diverse landscape, from exotic jungle to beach settings, as well as lower production costs – around 20% [less] – and a domestic film industry that provides a team of experienced crew members, have made Thailand an attractive location for many foreign film productions,” says Ubolwan Sucharitakul, Director of the Thailand Film Office.
Issue 12 : 15 Sept 2014
The quality of Thai craftsmanship has been recognised globally, Horizon Thailand talks to the acting head of the Federation of Thai Industries about the importance of skill development in the country’s automotive industry.
Thavorn Chalassathien quotes former US President Abraham Lincoln when describing Thailand’s manufacturing base. “I am a slow walker but I never walk back,” says the Acting Secretary General, of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), echoing the American abolitionist.
Thailand is widely regarded as a world leader in many industries both heavy and light. Its leading industries include agribusiness, food products, electronics and especially automotive vehicles and auto-parts. According to Chalassathien, these contribute up to 30-40% of the country’s GDP.
With such a high potential for the Thai automotive industry and its related supply chain, the FTI, in cooperation with the Department of Skill Development, has been focusing on developing the industry’s workforce. It has developed a Dual System with industrial entrepreneurs to encourage vocational students to be trained and gain work experience in line with the needs of the manufacturing sector to meet global standards.
“Thai craftsmanship and skills are recognised by World Skills International,” says Chalassathien. “Like welding skills which Thai has won almost every year in this competition, it requires endurance, concentration, hand-eye coordination and a steady hand. As the nature of Thai people is hard-working, enduring and delicate, this seems to be handed down through Thai DNA, especially the hand skills.”
To develop the Thai workforce for the global industry, especially the arrival of the soon-to-be ASEAN Community, greater attention should be paid towards developing human resources and workforce skills especially in the vital automotive industry, says Chalassathien.
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