From Table to Farm: An Interview with Peggy Chan of Zero Foodprint Asia

As Zero Foodprint Asia funds a second project, Marco de Boer sat down with Peggy Chan, the driving force behind ZFPA, to discuss her background, the organization’s latest projects, and its plans for the future.

Peggy, a native of Hong Kong who also grew up in Canada, has had a diverse and inspiring journey in the food and hospitality industry. Her early experiences, from working at the first Starbucks in Hong Kong at just 16 years old to studying culinary arts and hospitality management, laid the foundation for her passion for sustainable and ethical business practices.

“My mother was a home cook who loved hosting and preparing elaborate meals, which sparked my interest in food and hospitality,” Peggy shared. “I was also influenced by the diverse cultures in Montreal, like Vietnamese, Lebanese, and Thai, which instilled in me a deep appreciation for beautiful things and good food.”

Peggy’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to open her own restaurant in Hong Kong. There, she focused on raising the profile of vegetarian and vegan cuisine while supporting local, organic farmers. During this time, she met Anthony Myint, the founder of Zero Foodprint, at a food festival in Melbourne, Australia.

“When I learned about Zero Foodprint’s carbon neutrality program as a way to assess our restaurant’s impact and to further regenerative, carbon farming, I was really interested in bringing it to Hong Kong,” Peggy explained. “We became one of the first restaurants in Asia to participate, and it was a great way to engage customers in discussions about sustainability and a restaurant’s foodprint.”

The success of the Zero Foodprint program in Hong Kong has since expanded to other parts of Asia, with a growing number of restaurants and hotels in Singapore, Bali, and beyond pledging 1% of their revenue to support regenerative agriculture projects.

When selecting the next project to support, the ZFPA team was drawn to Wawee Valley in Thailand for several reasons. “They were ready to take the next step beyond organic certification and integrate regenerative agriculture practices,” Peggy said. “They also had experience in supply chain management, which is a critical challenge in Asia when it comes to sourcing traceable, regeneratively grown ingredients. And the scale and potential impact of the project appealed to us – we want to demonstrate that regenerative agriculture can be scalable and accessible.”

Zero Foodprint Asia has forged a notable partnership with Hyatt Hotels. Peggy was pleasantly surprised by Hyatt’s quick adoption of the 1% pledge, which she attributes to the hotel group’s dedicated sustainability manager. “Having a sustainability manager to guide the process and tie it into Hyatt’s broader sustainability story was a key factor in their success,” Peggy explained.

Looking ahead, Peggy and the ZFPA team are excited to continue expanding the program in new markets and supporting more farming projects in Hong Kong. They are also eager to learn from the expertise and connections of partners like reNature as they explore new opportunities in Nepal or the Philippines.

“Our goal is to make the funding and project selection process as simple and practical as possible to attract more participation from the hospitality industry,” Peggy said. “We believe businesses should be pulling their revenues and putting it back into investments for climate and social causes, and we’re determined to make that a reality. ZFPA’s 1% Pledge Program makes diverting the table able (revenue)-to-farm movement possible.”

As the interview drew to a close, it was clear that Peggy’s passion for sustainable and ethical business practices, coupled with Zero Foodprint Asia’s innovative approach, is making a meaningful impact in the region. With their sights set on the future, the team is poised to continue driving positive change in the food and hospitality industry.

Are you in hospitality and care to join Zero Foodprint Asia or elsewhere?

Check their website.