A focus on recycling pervades the entire operation of The Kitchens, contributing to a 200% increase in recycling for Robina Town Centre in the past year.
The Kitchens is also home to more than 1 million bees introduced to the area through the establishment of 36 beehives, including an educational show hive on display within the food precinct. Foraging for pollen and nectars as far as Merrimac in the north and Burleigh Heads in the south, these bees have substantially increased local pollination rates, encouraging growth of crops for local and backyard farmers and growers.
Everything harvested from the hives is processed, extracted and bottled naturally at The Kitchens Cooking Stage, where customers can watch and access the bee keepers for questions. With no heat used in the process, the more than 2.5 tonnes of honey harvested each year is nutrient dense and rich in flavour, which is supplied directly to tenants of The Kitchens for use in food preparation.
Recently, surplus honey has been bottled for sale at The Kitchens, and several local doctors are recommending The Kitchens Honey to their patients with hay fever due to the local pollens it contains.
Australian food rescue group OzHarvest has found a valued partner in The Kitchens, providing strong support for their ongoing initiatives in which unused food items are saved and donated to charities and organisations in the Gold Coast area.
Leaving donations daily in the on-site industrial refrigerators, retailers from The Kitchens donated the equivalent of over 2,000 meals to those in need between January and June 2017.
OzHarvest Gold Coast Manager, Lee Danahay, said the partnership with The Kitchens has provided an invaluable boost to their ability to help those in the community who have difficulties accessing healthy and nutritious food.
“This vital service is having a powerful and positive impact on the community through food deliveries to a range of Gold Coast charities, including local neighbourhood centres, emergency relief and homeless shelters, street vans, school breakfast programs and alternative education programs.”