Hotel food waste creates circular premium wine

Hyatt Regency Sydney has partnered with food waste company Goterra and Four Winds Vineyard in Murrumbateman, to turn the hotel’s daily food preparation scraps into premium wine.

This initiative represents the next evolution in the hotel’s supplier relationships, closing the loop between kitchen, waste and agriculture. The collaboration shows how hospitality can meaningfully participate in the circular economy.

The way the circular process works is:

1. Food waste from Hyatt Regency Sydney’s kitchens feeds millions of black soldier fly larvae in Goterra’s onsite MIB (Modular Infrastructure for Biological Services).
2. Within 7–10 days, these natural recyclers process up to 95% of the waste and produce frass, a nutrient-rich fertiliser.
3. That frass travels to Four Winds Vineyard, located 30 minutes’ drive from Canberra, where it nourishes cool-climate vines.
4. Those vines produce grapes, which in turn become the wine served at Hyatt Regency Sydney.

The result is a regenerative cycle that reconnects city dining with regional winemaking. M&L Group, owner of Hyatt Regency Sydney and investor in Goterra, was instrumental in supporting the integration of this onsite waste solution within the hotel.

Building on this direction, Nitin Kumar, Executive Assistant Manager of Food & Beverage, who previously worked extensively within the ACT & NSW regions and alongside local winemakers, collaborated closely with Executive Chef Sven Ullrich and sought a winemaking partner that aligned with the hotel and Hyatt’s global culinary ethos.

Four Winds Vineyard emerged as the most suitable collaborator, as it mirrored the same respect for land, craft and quality. The partnership has created the Circular Vintage Series, which will roll out throughout 2026, beginning with a shiraz released in April, followed by a riesling harvested in early 2026, to be released in September 2026.

Each varietal reflects both the Four Winds’ cool-climate vineyard in the NSW Southern Tablelands and the sustainability journey that connects Sydney’s harbour to the region’s wine country.

“We’re literally serving our guests wine grown from their breakfast,” said Sven Ullrich, Executive Chef of Hyatt Regency Sydney. “It sounds wild, but it’s actually the most natural thing in the world, returning nutrients to the soil instead of sending waste to landfill.”

This collaboration also marks a sustainability milestone for the hotel, acting as an extension of its existing ‘protein-to-table partnership’ with Hilltops Free Range, supported by larvae protein produced through Goterra’s system. The resulting ethically raised eggs already feature on the hotel’s menus.

“When frass nourishes vineyards and larvae protein supports free-range farms, we’re showing what’s possible when we rethink waste. This is circularity people can experience on their plate and in their glass as a delicious wine,” Goterra CEO Olympia Yarger said.

The wine’s label champions the project’s black soldier fly, celebrating the insect through illustration by being honest about the process and gentle on the aesthetic.

“We’re incredibly excited about this partnership with Goterra and Hyatt Regency Sydney because it aligns closely with our ethos of constantly looking for better ways to do things,” said Four Winds Vineyard CEO Sarah Collingwood.

“The new Circular Vintage wines are the tangible result of how we can tread a little more lightly and we’re really proud of what we’ve produced.”

The video below shows the full circular process from initial food scraps from the Hyatt Regency Sydney to the creation of the premium wine at Four Winds Vineyard.

The Circular Vintage Shiraz is now available on the wine list for events and at Jackalberry Bar & Restaurant and the Lobby Lounge at Hyatt Regency Sydney.

Top image caption: The Circular Vintage Banquet. Images: Supplied.