7 November 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Business/Technology News
The Hayfield Hotel is working with Roscommon based tech start up Positive Carbon to reduce food waste in all their kitchens, effectively reaching sustainability targets and improving profitability.
The first installation of Positive Carbon’s food waste monitoring sensors took place this July at the Hayfield Family Collection’s five-star Cork City property, Hayfield Manor. Upon seeing the data captured by the new sensors and how it could be utilized in further reducing food wastage and carbon emissions, whilst also enabling the team to make more effective purchasing decisions, the decision was made to roll the program out to all of their locations. In the subsequent two months the Great Southern Killarney and the Killarney Royal Hotel followed suit.
“When you’re running an operation with three sites that have extremely busy kitchens it can be hard to know what is being wasted and why but since working with Positive Carbon we now can monitor our waste to make the necessary changes to end it”
Managing Director, Michael Jacobi, of the Hayfield Family Collection commented.
Through the use of patented food waste sensors and food detection AI, Positive Carbon provides high quality food waste management tools for the food service industry to enable them to develop advanced waste reduction strategies which increases their gross profits by 2-8% all the while helping them on the journey to net-zero kitchens. Critically, as the sensors are autonomous, the process requires no staff interaction which allows the kitchen to go about their daily routine without any changes.
Positive Carbon’s COO Aisling Kirwan emphasised this final feature
“we understand that kitchens are high intensity environments so we have ensured that our technology has zero interference with staff to make the process of monitoring food waste as frictionless and beneficial as possible”.
The independent hotel group has made significant strides in the past few years to develop their sustainable commitments. Awarding them a reputable name in the industry and pushing forward the sustainability agenda. They are also like any other business concerned with the cost-effectiveness of their strategies, especially in the wake of the pandemic. However, since partnering with Positive Carbon they have not had to sacrifice the sustainability plan for the business plan. Using this food waste prevention technology has allowed them to improve their profitability and reduce their impact on the environment at the same time.”
Michael Jacobi