A sustainable choice that brings 0 km organic food to the table.
Today 37% of the French association’s mansions Relais & Châteaux grow fruits, 44% vegetables and 62% herbs. From Swiss rice to Japanese tropical fruit, an extraordinary variety of 0 km products grow in their gardens and vegetable gardens, ensuring quality, taste and freshness by taking advantage of unused spaces, such as those on patios and rooftops. Some of the members have also chosen to dedicate themselves to breeding, often rare breeds, respecting the highest standards of animal welfare.
Through the Relais & Châteaux properties in Italy, Europe, USA and Japan, it’s possible to discover the many varieties of sustainable and 0 km agriculture typical of each country.
Il Borro, San Giustino Valdarno
The original core of Relais & Châteaux Il Borro dates back to Roman times, but in 2012 its evolution as a sustainable organic estate and vineyard began. Biodynamic principles are applied in managing the three-hectare garden, using only manure and green manure from Chianina cattle and coordinating pruning with lunar cycles. Crop rotation regenerates the soil, nettle infusions control pests, and bees from 30 hives ensure healthy pollination of plants. In addition to growing the freshest seasonal vegetables, traditional crops such as Tuscan cherry tomatoes and ancient grains such as gluten-free buckwheat were reintroduced, ingredients later used by the chefs at Osteria del Borro.
Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia, Salina, Aeolian Islands
The seasonal vegetable garden is designed in great empathy with chef Gabriele Camiolo: tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, chard, cabbage, nasturtium, cilantro, a small collection of herbs and baby lettuces, as well as 150 caper plants, 48 olive trees and 20 lemon trees are grown here. Everything not grown in the mansion’s garden is sourced from the other Tasca d’Almerita estates: ancient wheat from Regaleali, salt from Mozia, saffron and pistachios from Etna.
Fragsburg Castle, Merano
From the producer to the consumer: this is the philosophy of Castle Fragsburg, with its Fragbsurg Soul Garden, an important project of solidarity agriculture and social participation by which garden dedicated to the cultivation of first fruits of the fertile South Tyrolean soil lives thanks to the work of a group of young immigrants and people with disabilities. Organic varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs are cared for and grown in an all-natural way and without the use of chemicals. Here classic ingredients grow and mature alongside carefully selected specialty plants, the aroma of which is captured every night in the dishes of the gourmet restaurant Precious, 1 Michelin star. Even the herbs, flowers and roots used in the first alchemical healing spa Castellum Natura are harvested strictly by hand, in the garden or in their natural habitat in the Alps.
Da Vittorio, Brusaporto
The restaurant Relais & Châteaux Da Vittorio (3 Michelin stars) recently announced the opening of the Vertical Farm, a project carried out in collaboration with Planet Farms, with which it becomes ambassador of a new food culture based on integrated supply chain, 0 waste, 0 transportation and responsible use of available raw materials. Built within Cantalupa Park, where the mansion is based, the new Vertical Farm offers chefs several varieties of baby-leaf, including micro-greens.
Bellevue Hotel & Spa, Aosta
Nestled at the foot of the Gran Paradiso glacier, it houses a vegetable garden with a distinctive circular shape divided into segments. Cultivated with passion by Roberto, the Maître Fromager, the garden offers 0 km vegetables and herbs that are used in the hotel’s restaurants. To make the most of their art, the chefs and barmen use the freshest medicinal herbs, harvested daily from the mansion’s garden.
Old Royal Crown, Cervere
The fame of the Relais & Châteaux restaurant Antica Corona Reale (2 Michelin stars) has been handed down from one generation to the next for more than 200 years. In addition to a rose garden, about 30% of the fruits and vegetables used to create dishes by chef Gian Piero Vivalda are harvested in the garden. Construction of a new vegetable garden of about 3,000 square meters, which will be opened this summer, has also recently begun, with the goal of meeting about 90% of the restaurant’s needs.
Seneca Palace, Norcia
Azienda Agricola Vallaccone is the result of a joint venture of two historic Italian hotelier families: the Bianconi family of Relais & Châteaux Palazzo Seneca and the Cinque family of San Pietro in Positano, both with a strong dedication to sustainability, who in 2018 co-purchased Tenuta Vallaccone north of Norcia. The estate covers 136 hectares, of which 42 hectares are arable land and the rest are centuries-old forests that include six truffle groves. All of the farm’s products are strictly organic and grown following the cycles of the season, without the use of GMOs or chemicals. Alongside modern production techniques are the care and timing that characterize Umbria’s ancient farming traditions.
The San Pietro in Positano, Amalfi Coast
Half of the area of the Relais & Châteaux is covered by gardens. The 10 level terraces where the gardens are developed are traversed by a 400-step stone walkway that leads from the spa to the beach. The mansion’s gardens grow fruits, vegetables and herbs used in both restaurants. Dishes and recipes are created based on seasonal produce, and an agronomist studies crop cycles to identify the perfect ripening period, staggering planting and harvest times so that fresh produce is available year-round.
Le Château de Beaulieu, Busnes, France
Christophe Dufossé, chef at Château De Beaulieu, is a true ambassador of organic, self-sufficient and sustainable cuisine. Protagonists of his starred menus are the fresh, seasonal products from his garden, one hectare of land cultivated in permaculture and irrigated by natural springs, surrounded by citrus and kiwi plants: sprouts, endive, Amandine potatoes, as well as strawberries and edible flowers such as hibiscus. The mansion also houses an herb garden, an orchard and a beehive. Products are harvested only when ripe to intensify the flavors of dishes such as lobster, smoked lovage, and roasted celery root with praline and chicory.
Château St. Gerlach, Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands
With its vegetable garden, herb garden, apiary and orchard, housing rare species within its beautiful Limburg estate, the St. Gerlach has been awarded the Golden Green Key, the most prestigious sustainability standard in hospitality. Called Wijland (We the Earth) because it was treated with the help of volunteers – including guests – the garden abundantly supplies the kitchen with seasonal products such as beets, zucchini, beans, asparagus and cabbage, which the Chef Guido Le Bron de Vexela use to make the classic dishes of the french cuisine with a local twist through the use of ingredients such as lamb, eggplant, Wijland beans, and buttermilk wing.
Domaine De Rymska, Saint-Jean-de-Trézy, France
A Relais & Châteaux about 30 km from Beaune, within an 80-hectare estate surrounded by vineyards, founded on two pillars: agriculture and hospitality. Almost all of the ingredients used by the restaurant are produced locally: from garden to orchard products to Charolais and Wagyu cattle, lambs, pigs, poultry, turkeys, geese and ducks, raised with full respect for animal welfare. Chef Jérémie Muller‘s seasonal Burgundy cuisine includes his signature dish of Wagyu beef, Pont-Neuf potatoes, candied onions, and stuffed mushrooms, all strictly local.
Castello del Sole Beach Resort & Spa, Ascona, Switzerland
Rice from the northernmost rice field in Europe, corn used for whole wheat polenta, durum wheat for pasta: these are just some of the organic products grown by Land at the Maggia, the farm and vineyard of 150 hectares which are part of the striking Relais & Châteaux Castello del Sole Beach Resort & Spa on Lake Maggiore. Following seasonal rhythms, tea and 35 varieties of fruits and vegetables, including 15 species of tomatoes, are also grown here. A beautiful natural pantry from where the products used by the restaurants of Hotel Alex Lake Zürich and Locanda Barbarossa at Castello del Sole are selected. There you can enjoy chef Mattias Roock‘s legendary Risotto Loto, made with asparagus, spring herbs and green peas.
Glenapp Castle, Ballantrae, United Kingdom
Relais & Châteaux Glenapp Castle houses a 19th-century kitchen garden on the 110-acre estate. Herbs such as rosemary, sage and the curry plant are grown here, as well as seasonal vegetables such as zucchini and rhubarb. Its pride is the beautiful Victorian greenhouse housing pear and fig trees, strawberries and 100-year-old vines that is now also used for serving afternoon tea and private dinners. The greenhouse provides products and inspiration for chef Joe Gould‘s award-winning dishes, such as flounder with leeks, shallots, carrots and shellfish bisque.
Maslina Resort, Stari Grad, Croatia
Surrounded by native pines, medicinal herbs and olive trees, Maslina Resort offers guests a place surrounded by greenery, ideal for getting in touch with nature and feeling at peace. The mansion’s 7,000-square-meter organic garden is at the heart of its “from garden to plate” philosophy, with vegetables, herbs and spices grown to be used in the Michelin-recommended restaurant’s seasonal dishes. The organic garden also grows local lavender, helichrysum, rosemary and sage used for spa treatments at Pharamatiq Wellness, the mansion’s wellness center.
The Uza Terrace Beach Club Villas, Okinawa, Japan
From tropical fruits to herbs, vegetables and wheat, Uza’s Our Farm, the Relais & Châteaux farm, grows seasonal products with minimal use of chemical fertilizers and adopting natural farming techniques such as companion planting (growing certain species together to reduce disease and increase biodiversity). Wheat grown near the East China Sea meets the dwelling’s need for craft beer and bread, while medicinal plants are used for spa treatments. Vegetables, dragon fruit and bananas are the basis of smoothies, cocktails and chef Masatomo Kina‘s European-inspired dishes, such as peppers with chili and seasonal vegetables, pottage and vegetables with miso-flavored bagna cauda sauce.
SUJÁN Sher Bagh, Ranthambore SUJÁN The Serai, Jaisalmer India
Using only ash and manure as fertilizer, the farm grows phoombi (desert mushrooms) in addition to numerous types of vegetables and raises Tharparkar indigenous cattle. Further east, the organic garden at Relais & Châteaux SUJÁN Sher Bagh, which borders Ranthambhore National Park, produces fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, including five varieties of lettuce, ginger, mint and eggplant.
El Colibri, Santa Catalina, Argentina
The charming estancia of Relais & Châteaux El Colibri is home to an organic vegetable and herb garden, where tomatoes, artichokes and squash are grown. The mansion also boasts a large orchard, while its neighboring eco-certified regenerative land management hacienda raises Aberdeen Angus cattle. The guests are invited to milk Marguerite cow (whose milk is used for dulce de leche) and to helping to collect products of the estate, which are the basis of Chef Léo Bramajo‘s dishes, including the asado, prepared with 12 different meats and voted the best in Argentina.
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee, USA
In the Appalachian foothills of Tennessee, once farmed by the Cherokee, Relais & Châteaux Blackberry Farm‘s 1,700-acre estate supplies its kitchen with delicious seasonal products such as fruits and vegetables. In the farm team there are also ranchers, a forager of wild mushrooms, blackberries and onions, a master brewer/distiller, a cheesemaker who makes cheese from fresh milk from the barn and an expert in making preserves such as jams and Tennessee Chow Chow sauce. All of these ingredients are the raw material at The Barn at Blackberry Farm, where chef Cassidee Dabney offers dishes such as lamb shank with cranberry beans, roasted carrots, raisins and grilled cabbage and kale.
