A Quick Look at La Mata: Winner of the Tahona Society Competition 2021

Diana Figueroa from @lamata_cuba spoke in an interview with Valerie Kramis @vkramis, one of her coaches, about the current status of her project, the social impact it has had on the bartender community in Cuba and the results of her product line. 

La Mata Project Today: One Year after Winning the Tahona Society Competition 2021

• After winning the 2021 Tahona Society Competition, La Mata is in a completely different phase of the project. They are installing all of the necessary machinery, refining recipes, creating new mixers and preparing tests for the market. 
  
  

• They have different products: a cordial line and a mixers line, called ‘bubbles,’ that include ginger beer, vinegar, kombucha and liquors. They are also investigating other product lines specific to Cuban bars, restaurants and hotels. 
  
  

• Since returning to Cuba, after winning the Tahona Society Competition 2021, they have been contacting local producers to secure the raw materials used in their products—all 100% natural, handmade and locally grown. From there, La Mata sells the final products to the eagerly awaiting bartender community who knows exactly how to use them best. 

“Just in La Habana, there are more than 400 bars that have access to our products, not counting the restaurants and hotels that we are also working with.”

Diana Figueroa, creator of La Mata 

Follow the fascinating evolution of La Mata here

During this in-depth interview, you’ll learn how the La Mata was created based on the needs of the bartender community in Cuba and all about the coaching and pitching process from the very beginning.

 

You’ll also find out what it means for Diana, and her associate David Roque, to have participated in the most important competition on the global bartending scene that seeks to make a social impact, and to have won no more and no less than $50,000 to make her venture a reality. 

Diana also talks about the challenges they have faced before and during the pandemia, and their deep gratitude for what it means to be part of the Tahona Society Family.