By Tahona Society
The Tahona Society Competition: Beyond Cocktail Competitions
Written by
The Tahona Society Editorial Team
Published on
Nov 26, 2020
We want to make your dream come true! That is why we are inviting you to propose your idea, campaign, or initiative designed to benefit bar staff, customers, the community, or the environment.ย All ideas are welcome, no matter howโcrazyโย they may sound.ย Upon winning,ย Altos will commit $50,000 USD towards training, publicity, and funding for your project.
The Tahona Society Collective Spirit Project is a global program that is pioneering change in the way brands support their communities. Itโs a completely new approach to bartender competitions because it encourages you and our familia of bartenders around the world to make the industry more sustainable. This game changing project reflects the Altos policy of We Care โ Our People, Our Planet, and is the next step in the Tahona Societyโs mission to continually spread knowledge among our bartenders.
The Tahona Society Collective Spirit Project 2018 was truly a success. The tremendous amount of impact of this global bartender community competition was seen in the 110 sustainable projects that participated, 15 of which were selected to go to the final round in Guadalajara, Mexico on November 16.
The eventโs broad digital and media coverage generated a deep, authentic, and emotional engagement within the community. In addition, the team of judges who so carefully and impressively advised on and evaluated each project include: Kirรฉn Miret, Executive Producer of Mexicoโs Shark Tank; Valerie Kramis, Social Entrepreneurship Expert; Dre Masso, Co-Founder of Altos Tequila and Christophe Prat, Vice President of House of Tequila.
Finally, the jury chose the Mind The Bar project, presented by Canadian bartenders Alex Black and Makenzie Chilton and winners of the $50,000 USD grant. Thanks to this initiative, created by and for the community, there are now two fully-funded, sustainable, and real projects โin Chicago and Vancouverโthat attend to the mental health needs of our bartenders. The four pillars of Mind The Bar are: addiction, depression, harassment, and anxietyโthe most immediate threats within the hospitality world.
Mind The Bar today
MTBโs first move after winning was to officially register as a non-profit organization in the province of British Columbia. Doing so not only showcases the sincerity and ongoing commitment to the cause, but also holds us all accountable to the established standards of organizational practice.
By late summer, MTB decided it was time to reveal what they had been working on for the previous eight months. A small industry event was planned to address questions and to launch the website MindTheBar.com, alongside various social media accounts.
The hashtag #LastCall was chosen as the centerpiece term of the launch and people within the community were offered a chance to participate by providing unique #LastCall images to post on their social media platform.
The response far exceeded expectations as dozens of people reached out to offer their accounts and personal stories to support the cause, thousands engaged with the online posts, and news outlets quickly picked up the story of what Mind The Bar was.
The support was amazing and MTBโs small, intimate, gathering turned into a launch event with over 150 industry professionals in attendance.
We invite you to visit www.mindthebar.com and check it out.
SoโฆDo you want to be part of the Tahona Society Collective Spirit 2020?
Participating countries | Date |
---|---|
Cuba | August 12 – 16 |
Mexico | August 26th |
Peru | August 22 – 25 |
USA | TBC |
Canada | October |
UK | September |
France | October |
Italy | September 20 – 24 |
Sweden | September |
Finland | September |
Norway | September |
Baltics (Lithuania & Estonia) | August 19 – 21 |
Bulgaria | October |
Poland | September |
Belarus | October 10 – 15 |
Portugal | October |
China (Shenzhen) | September 2 – 6 |
Singapore | September 7 – 9 |
Ukraine (Kiev, Kharkov) | October 14 – 17 |
6 .Contact Megs Miller, Global Tahona Society Ambassador: [email protected] or Jesรบs Hernรกndez, House of Tequila Advocacy Coordinator [email protected].
Things you must know about Tahona Society Collective Spirit Project 2019. Are you ready for this?
Finally, if you think you have a good idea for a sustainable project that will make a difference, we want you to join us! Even if you donโt win the big prize, you will have the possibility to work with Shark Tank coaches from Harvard for free and get your project launch-ready. What are you waiting for? Come be part of the Tahona Society Collective Spirit 2020!