At Naramata Inn, they know they live in a special place. The history, the vineyards, the beaches, the fruit – Naramata Inn is a treasure worth caring for. Naramata Inn has a rich history deeply rooted in their location, and they feel compelled to care for the land, the people, and the community. Naramata provides so much, and they want to be stewards for their destination, for years to come. The Biosphere Commitment Program is a great way for the Naramata Inn to take thoughtful, practical steps to increase their sustainability efforts. Being able to choose Sustainable Development Goals that resonate with their team means getting buy-in from staff at all levels, and that is really exciting.
Sustainability to Naramata Inn means creating positive impact, both locally and further afield. While Naramata may be a small village, visitors come from around the world. Their reach extends far, and their sustainability goals will help to ensure that they not only lessen any impact, but rather, create a positive impact. They continue to seek out a lot of different ways that they can incorporate local businesses and local products to ensure that, over time, the property is representative of the Village, Naramata Bench, and region. That is a way to make the businesses more sustainable, make the village more sustainable, and showcase the very best that Naramata offers the world in all areas.
“With sustainable seafood and hyper-local produce at the forefront of our restaurant mandate, we have always approachedbusiness – and life – with an eye towards sustainable living. Healthy oceans, local produce, and a productive and happy team are at the centre of everything we do. Having Sustainable Development Goals to quantify our efforts in these areas ensure that we continue to grow and better ourselves and this place.” – Kate Colley, Owner, Naramata Inn
Naramata Inn’s commitment to supporting local is reflective not only on the inn itself, but also of the Village, the Naramata Bench, and the Okanagan as a whole. Part of being a steward of sustainability for Naramata extends to other areas of the inn itself, which the visitors see and appreciate. The small touches like linen napkins and staff uniforms from the local handmade linen store, to local soap in the rooms, to local lavender products and honey in the rooms, are all small touches that speak to the importance of supporting local. Their guests see these special local touches and understand that their choices of where to spend vacation dollars reverberate for and wide. It’s an important part of who they are, and they are excited to push themselves even further for the benefit of their community.
As a “great restaurant with rooms”, the Naramata Inn has an opportunity to grow in sustainability efforts as both a Restaurant and as an Inn. Chef Ned Bell has made his life’s work around supporting healthy oceans through Oceanwise. With an eye towards supporting local, they forge relationships with the best local orchardists, farmers, growers, and foragers. This allows their menu to change with the seasons, and to explore the bounty of the Okanagan. They truly have everything they need to create memorable dishes using hyper-local products. While some of these sustainability efforts have come naturally, they are thankful to the Biosphere Commitment Program for the encouragement to explore additional avenues for improvement.
In an often male-dominated industry, the Restaurant at Naramata Inn has been given the unique opportunity to showcase the talents of a number of successful, female culinary staff. Their leadership team in the kitchen is actually female-dominated, which is a rarity in the industry! By recognizing this somewhat unusual status, they are excited to explore the Sustainable Development Goals relating to Gender Equality. Not only does this help to make the kitchen a more positive workplace for all, but if it helps to attract talented staff (regardless of gender) and put an end to the outdated gender stereotypes that restaurant kitchens are known for – that is something that they are happy to stand behind.
Read the full TOTA release here.