Next of Kin

How can hospitality contribute to a more sustainable way of living? Matt Reid—restaurateur, producer and environmental entrepreneur—explains how his brand new food hall is more than just a place to eat

- Charmaine Mok

“What would we do if our traditional world no longer existed?” It’s a question that Matt Reid forced himself to ask, faced with the unprecedented changes brought on by Covid-19. The last few years have changed the world; and for the co-founder of Steelhead Group, which covers industries including hospitality, environmentalism, technology and media, 2022 is set to be a year where the answer has become crystal clear: “We had to build a new one.”

Reid isn’t only talking about the ways in which the dining industry has been forced to pivot and adapt, to create new worlds where deliveries and dark kitchens are the norm. For the last five years—in addition to his commitments to Maximal Concepts, the hospitality group he co-founded with business partner Malcolm Wood—he has been working as co-producer of The Last Glaciers, a documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Craig Leeson, featuring young environmentalist Greta Thunberg. The film debuted in Imax cinemas worldwide this year on March 22—World Water Day—sending a powerful message about how the current climate crisis is accelerating the loss of Earth’s precious water reservoirs. It’s not the first environmental documentary Reid has worked on—both he and Wood were also part of the team who produced Leeson’s previous award-winning film, A Plastic Ocean, and their experiences have led to systemic changes within Maximal Concepts’ operations when it comes to sustainability.