Support Farmers & Fishers: Six Senses Zighy Bay
AVINASH PRATAP SINGH, SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR, TELLS US HOW SIX SENSES ZIGHY BAY DESIGNED ITS PROCUREMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT FARMERS AND FISHERS.
Located on Oman’s stunning Musandam Peninsula, Six Senses Zighy Bay aims to offer an experience deeply rooted in the hotel’s surroundings — an attitude that is evident in their approach to procurement and the strong relationships they’ve cultivated with their suppliers.
“The fishing community around us lived on this coastline long before the resort was ever envisioned — that's a fact we don't lose sight of,” says Avinash Pratap Singh, Sustainability Director at Six Senses Zighy Bay, explaining their ethos. “We're guests on this land in some sense, too, and that shapes how we think about who we buy from and why.”
Avinash is clear that careful sourcing also has direct implications on quality. “It comes down to what we owe our own guests: we want to serve the freshest, healthiest food possible, and that's simply not achievable without strong, direct relationships with the people catching and growing it close to us,” he says. “And every kilometre we don't have to transport food is carbon we don't burn — sourcing locally is one of the most direct levers we have to keep our footprint low.”
The hotel’s approach to procurement takes guidance from the global Six Senses brand, filtered through a distinctly local lens. “It's genuinely a mix of both,” says Avinash. “Brand-level guidelines set the direction — they carry our vision of being pioneers in this industry, and they make sure every property, wherever it is in the world, is walking the same path. But the resort has the room, and the responsibility, to set standards on top of that based on our own local needs and operating conditions. Our home office gives us the ambition; our own operating environment gives us the specifics of how that ambition actually gets delivered here.”
“The fishing community around us lived on this coastline long before the resort was ever envisioned — that's a fact we don't lose sight of. We're guests on this land in some sense, too, and that shapes how we think about who we buy from and why.”
Putting practice into policy
Understanding the importance of formalising practice into policy, due diligence at Six Senses Zighy Bay includes a comprehensive supplier checklist and code of conduct, as well as visiting suppliers wherever possible. “Our policies are a distillation of learnings from across the globe and decades of leading this industry from the front — they didn't come from one meeting, they came from supplier visits, engagement with industry experts, our own internal audits, and external audits like GSTC and FMG,” Avinash explains. “Each of those is a feedback loop that lets us keep fine-tuning how we operate. The policies themselves cover a lot of ground — sustainable packaging, safe and fair working conditions, financial governance and everything in between.”
This has a direct impact on operations, allowing for a culture of continuous improvement. “Documentation is the part I keep coming back to, because it's basics: what isn't tracked never gets improved,” he says. “We run an annual internal audit, a bi-annual group-level audit and external audits as needed, and that rhythm of documentation is what actually turns intention into measurable progress.”
Training and development is a central part of maintaining these standards. “Every new host goes through a full day of sustainability training — that sets the tone for what Six Senses actually stands for, from day one,” shares Avinash. “From there, the sustainability team wears a lot of hats: strategist, consultant, operator and reviewer, often within the same week.”
The aim is always to monitor and encourage progress. “Through our annual internal audit against our own guidelines, we set goals with each team along with a timeline for implementation across the year,” he says. The sustainability team and task leaders then track that progress and see each initiative through to completion. “It's not a training session that happens once and gets forgotten; it's a cycle that repeats and holds people accountable.”
“Documentation is the part I keep coming back to, because it's basics: what isn't tracked never gets improved.”
Communication is key
Avinash points to the importance of communication in supporting farmers and fishers. “Engagement is the first step, and it has to happen on both sides — supplier and consumer. Start by talking to your chefs about their biggest pain points, and what your real needs are, whether that's scale or scope. Talk to procurement about what the purchase guidelines actually allow, and how much flexibility exists for smaller, local suppliers. And talk to the farmers and fishers themselves — what are they producing today, and what do they have the potential to produce if the demand and support were there? Our job as a sustainability team is to link those two sides together — to upskill, support and facilitate relationships that are fair and consistent, built on improving quality and reliability over time rather than a one-off transaction.”
“Our job as a sustainability team is […] to upskill, support and facilitate relationships that are fair and consistent, built on improving quality and reliability over time rather than a one-off transaction.”
Food Made Good at Six Senses Zighy Bay
Six Senses Zighy Bay took the Food Made Good Standard for the first time in early 2026, earning three stars and receiving a particularly high score in Support Farmers & Fishers.
“Food Made Good is trusted, rigorous and designed to dig deeper into the social and environmental sustainability of restaurant operations,” says Avinash. ”At Six Senses Zighy Bay, we strive to go beyond and push further for greater regenerative impact through our work. The desire to learn about industry best practices and implement them at our resort motivated us to join the FMG community.
“Our team felt supported and the technical infrastructure was designed for a smooth self-assessment,” he continues. “The preliminary feedback from the auditors helped us understand the nuances of the audit. The assessment helped us to look at each element of our restaurant operations together. We found new insights about emerging certifications for our supply chain, methods and strategies for improved outreach regarding sustainability efforts, and ways to access the effectiveness of our HR policies.”
“Food Made Good is trusted, rigorous and designed to dig deeper into the social and environmental sustainability of restaurant operations. The desire to learn about industry best practices and implement them at our resort motivated us to join the FMG community.”
If you’re looking for further insights about sustainable sourcing, don't miss our 2026-27 global sustainability insights report, "Hospitality Rising: Global Challenges, Local Solutions”. Exploring the latest trends and influences shaping the sector, it’s packed with examples of smart sustainability initiatives from businesses of all shapes and sizes across the world. Download your copy here!
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