Celebrating the legacy of bartenders today and every day
For centuries, bartenders have been part of our lives. Records suggest the profession first started back in Ancient Greece, Rome and in Asia, as people started to produce their own liquor and eventually opened their taverns for people to gather. That same entrepreneurial spirit is what cemented Diageo’s own story of creating and celebrating life through our products and experiences. Today, on Bartender's Day, I aim to celebrate the legacy and a profession that is not only key to our business, but a close partner whom we work with day by day as they create new flavors and experiences for our customers.
Our commitment with the bartender and barmaid community is strong. We have been working closely with them, through tools, workshops and events that foster knowledge and understanding of a profession that is vital to the hospitality industry, as well as helping them through the uncertain times that Covid-19 has brought up.
Diversity and inclusion are core for our business and the entire industry. With our Learning for Life program, we seek to create more opportunities for young women and men in the hospitality industry. In this project that happens every year in our top Central American markets, we give training in business and hospitality skills to hundreds of people, as it is aimed at people seeking employment in the hospitality industry, but who may have faced many barriers to access education and/or employment.
It provides equal access to business and hospitality resources and skills to its participants, with the goal of increasing their employability and improving their quality of life while supporting prosperity in the hospitality sector. As per our 10-year tenure with L4L, more than 50% of participants are women.
Diageo Bar Academy is, precisely, a project that we are very passionate about, both on a global scale and in Central America and the Caribbean. It is our worldwide and free community for bartenders, which has an online platform where they can find:
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?And in CCA, hundreds of people have been able to have access to it and we are bound to continue to promote it so more professionals can reach their highest potential.
We have also celebrated the talent of bartenders across the globe with the World Class competition we sponsor. The Central American and the Caribbean region has had four winners thus far from Guatemala, Panama and the Dominican Republic and as well as champions in other global competitions.
So today I raise a glass to all bartenders who help us celebrate life, every day and everywhere, responsibly.