Little Bukit Farm: How the pandemic spurred this couple to realise their dream of starting a farm in Phuket

The COVID-19 pandemic was a devastating event but its unusual scenarios also birthed many beautiful stories. One of them was the creation of Little Bukit Farm, located near Phuket’s Ko Kaeo town. It was founded by husband-and-wife team Joe Sanya and Melinda Briend-Marchal.

Sanya is the founder of Architects 11 – the Phuket-based firm engaged by Aman founder Adrian Zecha to design hotels for the Azerai brand targeted at travellers seeking affordable luxury. Sanya also owns a construction company called Terra Group. In December 2019, workers from Myanmar were hired to work on local projects but a few months later due to the COVID-19 situation, contracts were cancelled or postponed.

“We felt responsible for all the workers who came here for us. If we had let them go, they would have no more work permit and would become illegal [workers] in Thailand, homeless or have no income that would have made returning to their country an impossible option. It was a dreadful situation and we couldn't let that happen,” shared Briend-Marchal, who hails from France. She met Sanya when she engaged him to design a project 19 years ago. 

When Phuket went into its first lockdown, the couple decided to bring all their workers to a 5,600-sq-m plot of land they had purchased. It had been cleared of trees by the previous owner to demarcate its borders. “Initially, we just started to plant, thinking that if supplies fall short, we would still be able to feed everyone and have a roof over their heads,” said Briend-Marchal. As the pandemic raged on, the couple decided to invest their own savings into creating a proper farm, which they endearingly christened Little Bukit Farm.

In a way, this was serendipity. The couple had always wanted an organic farm. “But we were too busy so it remained a long-time nebulous dream until the pandemic hit. Joe wanted to have fresh eggs from the coop every day, and I was already making goat’s cheese for my own consumption, but buying the milk from stores. I really wanted to have my own goats so I could guarantee the quality of my cheeses by controlling the whole process,” Briend-Marchal commented.

Sanya’s skills came to the fore as he designed the farm – a tranquil setting flanked by low-rise solid timber structures. “We reclaimed materials from our construction company, pursuing sustainability, and created a warm and welcoming atmosphere around the land,” described Briend-Marchal. The buildings house a welcome pavilion, staff house, her ‘cheeselab’, a small house for the couple and their two daughters, as well as two extra bedrooms for friends and family when they visit.

Of course, there is a chicken coop and holding for goats whose bleating adds to the rustic atmosphere. “All the buildings are built around the crops, where we grow local, seasonal and organic vegetables. We use manure from the chickens and goats as fertiliser; we do not use any pesticides of any sort,” said Briend-Marchal. Sometimes, up to 30 per cent of produce damaged by pests are discarded. In the same mindset, the chickens range free when their coop is cleaned twice a day.

The farm is also special for the couple and their family, as it defined a large part of their daughter’s growing-up years. Briend-Marchal shares one particular lovely memory: “On the morning of my first daughter’s birthday during the pandemic while we were living on the farm, we had the beautiful surprise of the birth of two kid goats. And so she started her online lesson with both lambs in her arms, making all her classmates melt with the baby animals’ sweetness.”

The next chapter of Little Bukit Farm sees chef Luca De Negri of Rosewood Phuket hotel stumbling upon the property in 2022, attracted by its dedication to sustainable practices. At first, he bought produce for his own consumption. Eventually, it dawned upon him how the farm and hotel’s beliefs dovetailed, and collaborations were initiated.   

“Little Bukit Farm’s ethos aligns seamlessly with Rosewood Phuket’s unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship. As an oasis of eco-consciousness, Little Bukit Farm epitomises the values Rosewood Phuket holds dear. Its sustainable farming methods perfectly complement our resort’s ethos of responsible luxury,” shared De Negri.

Andrew Turner, Rosewood Group’s regional vice president and managing director, agreed: “Sustainability lies at the very heart of Rosewood Phuket, and the resort’s wider commitment to help its precious natural environment includes a net-zero approach to water usage, food composting, an energy efficient design, energy conservation and renewable energy harvesting – all of which have earned the resort a LEED Gold verification for its sustainable achievements.” 

The farm was integrated into Rosewood Phuket’s Partners in Provenance programme that sources for ingredients from local businesses. The programme embodies the Rosewood brand’s ‘A Sense of Place’ ethos that not only refers to teak surfaces and Thai craft elements in the case of Rosewood Phuket, but also experiences and involvements with the wider community whenever possible.

Shared Turner: “Approximately a third of all dishes at Rosewood Phuket incorporate ingredients sourced from our Partners in Provenance programme, including seasonal vegetables, sago palm flour, unique golden brown rice and caviar from locally raised Siberian sturgeon.”

The hotel purchases produce from Little Bukit Farm for use in its restaurants. It also offers excursions to the farm. This immersive experience not only enhances the hotel’s branding but also showcases true sustainability that has been overshadowed by many cases of green washing for branding purposes.   

I got a taste of the farm dinner experience offered by the hotel, which is held monthly and costs THB28,000 (S$1,029) per couple (or THB9,000 per person). A 40-minute ride from Rosewood Phuket took me to the farm where a welcome Champagne drink preceded a personal tour led by Briend-Marchal and Sanya. Amid plump chickens running between my feet, we fed the goats and got a crash course by Briend-Marchal on how she ages her organic cheese that tastes refreshingly light and is void of any cheesy pungency. 

“When the goats are in good living conditions, they can continue to produce milk with only one gestation (the same as human wet nurses in the past). This way of getting milk respects the animal’s wellbeing and their herd integrity,” explained Briend-Marchal.

We then proceeded to an elegant outdoor area for a seven-course degustation meal by candlelight and fairylights – front-row seats to the view of the setting sun bathing the farm in painterly orange light. The dishes featured fresh produce from the farm that are paired with sustainably sourced ingredients from other Partners in Provenance suppliers.

Eco Aquaculture Grouper Carpaccio, Citrus Dressing Pickled Beetroot Mint (a dish delightfully called ‘Farm Bathing’), spirulina tagliatelle matched with spinach salsa, green peas and almond (with the no-nonsense name ‘Keep It Real’), and herbed chicken cooked over a wood-burning fire were some of the flavourful and clean-tasting dishes presented. There is also a vegetarian menu available.

De Negri proudly highlights that the dishes, based on seasonality and harvest cycles, contain no sugar. The night concluded with a stroll to the welcome pavilion, where a cheese platter of the farm’s goat cheese, natural wine, dessert and a nutritious herbal drink – that night, it was Ashwagandha (Indian ginseng), relaxing the body – was a perfect night cap accompanying convivial conversation and entertaining anecdotes on farm life by Sanya and Briend-Marchal.  

An encounter like this is a memorable event for guests but for those at the farm, daily life involves routines. Even the couple’s daughters partake in chores when they are not at school. “The goats are manually milked every morning before going out for a couple of hours so they can find their favourite leaves and exercise outside the shelter,” shared Briend-Marchal who spends a part of the day making her goat cheese.

Aside from the Rosewood Phuket excursion, the farm is also open to the public with a separate farm-to-table menu provided by the farm. The couple takes pride in showing visitors the vicinity, “inviting them to reconnect with nature, sharing our farmers’ passion, bringing them on a journey in the magical world of our farm where all our animals are friendly and happy, and where the food served grows under your own eyes,” commented Briend-Marchal.

The idea of farm living appears foreign to many who come to Phuket thinking mainly about sandy beaches and exotic island dives. “Guests who come to the farm never expect to find a place like this in the middle of Phuket that has become pretty busy. They get very much inspired by our story and our strong connection to nature and how we envision a more sustainable future for all by our small efforts. Some people have grown up and lived all their lives in busy cities, very much disconnected from animals, natural living and even more from farming,” observed Briend-Marchal. 

The farm also led the couple to realise other dreams. “The adventure continues and expands as Joe fell in love with horse-riding during the pandemic. Over the past two years, he developed Moracae Horse Academy – an equestrian centre next door to the farm. Imported Carthusian horses from Spain join Friesian and Thai horses that are available for riding in our arena or can be taken on trails around our land,” shared Briend-Marchal.

Not many can say this but the journey has been a dream-come-true for her and Sanya. She said: “The dream went further than what we initially planned, and living our dream life now, we are ready to continue as we bought more land and more ideas are on they way.”