Joost Bakker unveils Future Food System with Miele appliances

Joost Bakker’s Future Food System project is partnering with manufacturer of premium appliances, Miele. Miele is embracing the ‘zero waste’ philosophy, and officially putting their support behind Bakker’s quest to demystify self-sufficiency and sustainability in everyday life.

Having previously partnered with Bakker on a number of his ingenious sustainability initiatives, Miele was the first appliance choice for Bakker, and has supplied a selection of its energy-saving appliances for the pop-up as a leading project partner and collaborator.

Well known for his unique approach to sustainable building, design and living, this latest project from Bakker is an 87-square-metre pop-up home and urban farm in Melbourne’s Federation Square, the original site of Bakker’s first restaurant, the Greenhouse over a decade ago.

Central to the project will be award-winning chefs Matt Stone and Jo Barrett, who will spend their residency planting, harvesting food sourced and grown on site and showcasing their produce, creating inspiring meals with Miele’s latest appliances. Stone is one of Australia’s leading sustainable chefs, known for his use of local, organic ingredients to produce nutritious dishes with zero waste. Similarly, his partner Barrett, a Melbourne-born chef, shares the same vision for minimising waste and using creative techniques to get the most from every ingredient.

Growing up with an uncle in the Netherlands who serviced Miele appliances, and with a mother who owns a Miele washing machine bought before he was even born, Bakker is passionate about the company and its mantra of building appliances that are built to last.

“My uncle drilled into us from an early age that Miele is the only appliance brand worth purchasing. He was one of the first people to teach me that we need to stop consuming products that have to be replaced regularly and instead, invest in quality products that are good for the environment,” says Bakker.

The impressive three-storey home has two bedrooms, a rooftop garden, aquaponics system and an on-site steam system, complete with Miele’s world-leading energy saving appliances, which the two chefs will use to cook over 250 dishes while living in Future Food System home.

With sustainability an integral part of Miele’s brand identity, Michele Laghezza, Miele ANZ Marketing Director, says the appliance manufacturer is constantly striving to improve their environmental performance and are thrilled to be partnering with one of Australia’s leading sustainability and zero waste advocates.

“For over 120 years Miele has stood by its brand ethos of ‘Immer Besser – Forever Better’ by creating appliances that have been built to last and endure daily use. Our product designers carefully consider how we can reduce the burden of production on the environment and on natural resources with every appliance.”

To bring this project to life, Miele have supplied Stone and Barrett with:

● Miele KM 7897 Full-surface induction cooktop; which offers lower energy consumption than gas and conventional electric cooktops;

● DA 4228 W Rangehood; that features an ECO Motor, providing 70 per cent energy saving compared to conventional electric rangehood motors;

● KFNS 37682 iD Fridge-freezer; that features the PerfectFreshPro, allowing food to stay fresh for up to five times longer;

● H 7860 BP Oven; with Eco Fan Heat, an extremely energy-efficient cooking function, suitable for roasting and baking;

● DGC 7840 XL Combi steam oven; cooking with steam, including Miele’s EcoSteam function, is very energy efficient and assists with preserving the intense and natural flavour of food, retaining up to 50% more vitamins, minerals and trace elements;

● G 7919 SCi XXL Integrated dishwasher; with a 4.5-star energy rating and 6.0- star WELS rating, this dishwasher is amongst the most efficient dishwashers on the market. The option of a hot water connection can further reduce electricity usage by up to 50 per cent.

All appliances have been carefully selected for their eco-credentials and will be showcased through daily Instagram posts as the chefs share their unique cooking creations.

Complemented by a WWV 980 WPS W1 Front-loading washing machine and TWV 680 WP Heat-pump tumble dryer in the laundry, all appliances will operate on solar power and the costs of every aspect of the project will be made available to the public to show that green living doesn’t have to cost the earth.

While its Federation Square location will keep Future Food System front-and-centre in the minds of Melbournians, the rest of Australia and the world can track the progress online through weekly live streams, video updates and interviews with the inspiring people involved in the project.

“I want this to be a catalyst for greater sustainability and self-sufficiency in urban settings,” Bakker says, “I think in the future, we will all live like this.”

For more information on Miele’s involvement in Future Food System, visit mieleexperience.com.au/joost. To receive updates, visit futurefoodsystem.com.

To learn more about Future Food System, read this article from issue 77 of green magazine here.