By The Tahona Society Competition
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Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena, Winner of the Tahona Society Competition 2023
A project conceived to encourage and increase the accessibility of glass recycling in Cartagena, Colombia has taken top spot at the third edition of Altos Tequila’s Tahona Society Competition.
Taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico from June 26 – 29, the global finale of Altos’ sustainability-focused competition saw 12 bartenders from around the world go head-to-head as they pitched their very own initiative for the chance to win a $50,000 grant to make their concept a reality.
Jenny Teasdale and Jeffrey Garcia’s winning project, Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena, aims to change the perception of glass waste, to create jobs in the local community and to encourage bars to recycle in a city where this has historically been borderline impossible.
Using the $50,000 prize fund, Teasdale and Garcia will build a new recycling center in Cartagena in order to make glass recycling more widely available and unite the city’s bars in taking the next step towards a more sustainable future for the local community – and beyond.
The Tahona Society Competition Will Be Life-Changing
Jenny Teasdale says that the Tahona Society Competition will be life-changing, not just for them, but for their local community in Cartagena. Glass waste in Cartagena has long been problematic, but their winning project, Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste, aims to recycle up to 25% of the glass waste generated by tourism in the city within two years.
Green Apple is incredibly grateful to the Tahona Society and Altos Tequila for this opportunity, and is looking forward to putting the $50,000 grant to good use as they begin building the first industrial glass recycling center in the city.
Green Apple: The Result of Many Months’ Work
The win for Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena is the result of many months’ work for Teasdale and Garcia – from winning their local final in Colombia to undergoing an intensive 3-month long coaching process in the lead-up to the competition’s climax featuring one-to-one training and hands-on workshops from business and marketing experts.
This included Kirén Miret, Executive Producer of Mexico and Colombia’s Shark Tank reality television series, Dré Masso, Co-Founder of Altos Tequila and Luis Antonio Espino, an independent Strategic Communications Consultant – all of whom joined Michael Merolli, CEO at House of Tequila – Pernod Ricard, and Elliot Kotek, CEO and Founder of The Nation of Artists – on the Tahona Society Competition’s expert judging panel.
“Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena is a prime example of an initiative which embodies Altos Tequila’s core values of recycling and waste reduction. We’re continually inspired by the caliber and variety of projects created by our collective of bartenders.”
— Dré Masso, Altos Tequila and Tahona Society Co-Founder
Sustainability: Transcending the Bartending Community
Each year, the Tahona Society Competition grows globally, as sustainability retains and builds its importance as a key issue which transcends the bartending community. They have pioneered expert training not just in tequila, but in the art of bartending and sustainable bar practices for almost 15 years. And they’re seeing the benefits of this education come to life through the sheer quality of projects the Tahona Society Competition inspires.
Finally, we want to say a huge congratulations to Jenny and Jeffrey of Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena, a breakthrough project which will make huge strides in reducing glass waste in this city. We’re looking forward to joining you on the journey towards making a success of this business venture and taking it beyond Cartagena!
