That sketch became a conversation. The conversation became a proposal. And the proposal became what you see today on Level 9 of Rosewood Phnom Penh: a fully operational hydroponic garden that supplies the hotel's kitchens with fresh greens — grown without soil, without chemicals, and without a single kilometre of cold-chain logistics.

This was never a corporate directive. It was an associate-led idea, brought to life by three people — a Chef, a Sustainability Manager, and a Driver — each of them committed to what the garden could mean for the hotel, and for Cambodia.

The Garden Today

• 1,200 to 1,440 kg of greens produced every year
• Less than 2 hours from picking to plate — most herbs reach the kitchen the same morning they are harvested
• Supplying: Cuts, Brasserie Louis, Sora Skydeck, Butterfly Patisserie, and in-room amenities
• Around 70% of the hotel's leafy vegetable needs grown on-site
• Varieties grown: herbs, lettuces, microgreens, coffee, and tea

From Garden to Glass

The garden doesn't stop at the kitchen. Sora's bartenders work directly with what Level 9 grows — fresh herbs and botanicals that travel from soil to shaker the very same day. It is, quite possibly, the shortest farm-to-bar programme in Phnom Penh.

The People Behind It

• Seyha In - Impact & Sustainability Manager "I had been thinking about this for years. When we finally built it, I wanted every person in the hotel to feel ownership over it."

• Chef Jan - Area Director of Culinary "Having a garden two floors above the kitchen changes everything. When your herbs are harvested the same morning they reach the plate, you stop thinking about shelf life and start thinking purely about flavor. It has made us more creative and more honest in how we cook.

• Dara Yann - Driver " I never imagined my experience with hydroponics would one day serve guests at Rosewoof. When Seyha and I started talking, I knew we could build something special together. Seeing I grow every day still makes me proud."