Which of These 11 Projects Will Win the Altos Tahona Society Award 2025?

The time has come to unveil the list of the world’s most inspiring bartenders, each on a mission to make a positive impact.

Every proposal we received is packed with brilliant ideas connected by one common theme: a shared passion for building a better hospitality industry.

As a reminder, the grand finale of the competition will be held on September 8, 2025, in Guadalajara, where one winning project will be selected to receive the $50,000 (USD) prize, turning their vision into reality! Are you ready to meet the finalists?

IG: @champagnetastewatermoney 

• A mobile breast cancer screening initiative for hospitality workers.
• It offers affordable exams, sliding-scale payments, and education on self-exams and prevention.
• It brings preventive care to bars, restaurants, and communities, regardless of insurance or income.

ig: @oscar_sparks 

• A bar management app that integrates with existing POS systems to provide prep guides, waste tracking, and scheduling.
• It helps teams reduce labor, product, and waste costs without changing their current platforms.
• It supports sustainability and efficiency through a modular subscription model with minimal service disruption.

ig: @barchoice_teabar 

• This project combines Chinese tea heritage with modern mixology, creating tea-based cocktails alongside Phoenix Dancong masters.
• It promotes cultural preservation through rituals, educational labs, and storytelling enhanced with AR.
• It focuses on sustainability via profit-sharing with tea masters, zero-waste practices, and reusing tea in new cross-industry products.

ig:  @Eddy_polesio 

• This project promotes the bar industry’s sustainability by rethinking how tools, spaces, and resources are shared.
• It envisions a collaborative lab that helps bars cut waste, save energy, reduce costs, and streamline workflows with shared professional equipment.
• It fosters a supportive bartender community, making sustainability more accessible and collective progress possible.

ig: @takeyourmarc 

• Canada’s first community-built bar, launching at Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation.
• It fosters dialogue, incubates sustainable concepts, models zero-waste practices, and promotes inclusive leadership.
• Through events and partnerships, it aims to create a connected, regenerative hospitality industry, one round at a time.

ig: @miriam.drives 

• This project provides bartenders with financial tools and guidance to help make their craft a stable, long-term profession.
• It addresses economic insecurity in bartending by offering resources for saving, investing, and managing finances wisely.
• It fosters connection, openness, and collaboration among bartenders, strengthening the industry as a whole.

ig: @peppe_quartararo 

• This project hosts culturally inspired cocktail events, with proceeds supporting local charities.
• It partners with NGOs, bars, and guest bartenders to amplify underrepresented voices and spark cultural conversations.
• It supports causes like education and clean water while promoting purpose-driven creativity in the bar industry.

ig: @audrey.hands @lucygoesb 

• This project fosters safer, more supportive workplaces in Mexico’s hospitality sector.
• Employees and guests share insights through digital surveys, which experts analyze to create customized strategies.
• It combines guidance, skill-building, and actionable reports to strengthen resilience for staff, managers, and customers alike.

ig: @jalapeno_noir 

• This project serves snacks, cocktails, and ferments crafted from imperfect produce and surplus ingredients.
• It partners with local suppliers and reuses packaging to reduce food waste while keeping prices accessible.
• Ingredients are prepped in partner kitchens and pop-ups, generating lifestyle-friendly jobs and drinks that celebrate otherwise overlooked produce.

ig: @crisboteroorozco @harry_sasson 

• This project trains 200 young people in Chile and Colombia in bartending, leadership, and financial literacy.
• It combines hybrid learning, microlearning tools, and a rewards system to engage participants via the Ñam platform.
• A built-in job board and network of hospitality partners link participants directly to career opportunities.

ig: @shakestirpour 

• This project offers coconut, monk fruit, and date-based syrups for bars and cafés.
• With a lower glycemic index and reduced environmental impact, the products promote smarter, more sustainable choices.
• Campaigns and initiatives educate consumers and professionals about sugar alternatives and their benefits.

Who will win the Altos Tahona Society Award 2025? These 11 finalists, demonstrating innovative sustainability efforts and transformative hospitality initiatives, show that creativity and purpose are linked. The winner will be announced shortly, and we’re eager to see which vision sets new standards for the industry. Stay tuned!