Bacardi Expands Shake Your Future to Madrid Where Young Unemployed Will Be Given Fresh Start in World of Bartending
With hospitality professionals in more demand than ever, Bacardi is offering unemployed adults in Madrid & Barcelona a life-changing opportunity to train as a bartender
HAMILTON, Bermuda, April 17, 2023 /3BL Media/ - In response to the growing demand for trained bartenders, family-owned Bacardi, today announced that it is expanding Shake Your Future, its special initiative giving young, unemployed adults the life-changing opportunity to train as a professional mixologist.
With an industry-wide shortage of skilled bartenders, Bacardi is launching the program in Madrid for the first time, following a successful return to Barcelona in March. A total of 30 young adults – 15 in each city – are taking part in the 10-week diploma course which will give them the skills and experience they need to start a new career in the hospitality industry.
The first-ever launch of Shake Your Future in Madrid builds on the program’s debut in Barcelona, when 10 students took part and after graduating in 2022 are now pursuing careers in the hospitality industry.
Participants in the 10-week program are trained in the art of bartending and mixology, as well as gaining invaluable work experience in some of the industry’s leading bars and restaurants. Shake Your Future graduates receive an internationally recognized diploma and access to permanent employment opportunities within the sector, empowering them to transform their lives and build a brighter future.
Bacardi is running Shake Your Future in partnership with the European Bartender School in Madrid and Barcelona.
Bacardi launched Shake Your Future as a pilot in 2018 to help address the youth unemployment crisis on the doorstep of its French office, which at the time was in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Ouen. Since then it has expanded to Spain, Italy, South Africa, India and Bermuda, home to the company’s global headquarters. In the coming months, Shake Your Future will roll out to Germany, Belgium and many more countries as part of a plan to bring the same opportunity to 10,000 young adults around the world by 2030.
Sebastian ten Berge, Bar Manager, ENTOURAGE GROUP, owner of bar & restaurant MR PORTER Barcelona, said: “The timing of this launch from Bacardi is perfect. It is extremely difficult to find trained bartenders and so it is a pleasure to support the Shake Your Future initiative. Hopefully Shake Your Future will lead to many young people enjoying a long and successful career in the industry.”
Amanda Almond, Managing Director, Bacardi Iberia & Greece, added: “Following the global pandemic, the hospitality industry is facing an unprecedented shortage of trained bartenders making it even more of a win-win for these young adults looking for a fresh start and our fantastic partners in the bar industry who are very supportive and give them that opportunity. Shake Your Future has already changed people’s lives for the better and I’m looking forward to it doing the same for many more in the months and years ahead.”
Shake Your Future will run annually in each of the cities where it is launched, with an ever-growing number of bar and restaurant partners pledging their support and giving the trainees the all-important experience they need to change their lives.
Always drink responsibly.
Media contact
Andrew Carney
Communications Director Europe, Bacardi
acarney@bacardi.com
About Bacardi
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held international spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, GREY GOOSE® vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON’S® Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF® vodka. Founded more than 161 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs approximately 9,000, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 160 markets. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
