Meliá Chiang Mai, an upcoming 260-room hotel in Thailand’s mountainous north, embraced the “farm-to-table” social movement by establishing a farm. Opening April 8 on Charoen Prathet Road in the heart of Chiang Mai, the hotel has implemented the ORI9IN The Gourmet Farm project, a 198-acre gourmet organic farm located in the nearby San Sai District, made sustainable by two Michelin-starred chef James Noble.

Noble, which operates Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK, will work with local farmers to grow a range of fruits, vegetables and herbs for the hotel on its own two-acre farm on the larger ORI9IN property. In addition to local seasonal products such as red basil, lemongrass and passion fruit, specialty crops such as various types of tomatoes and salad leaves will be grown on the farm. The partnership is a central element of Meliá Chiang Mai’s “360° Cuisine” program, under which the hotel aims to work closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and promote ethical production to make communities and the overall food system more resilient.