Bacardi Launches Shake Your Future in Five Italian Cities
Family-owned spirits company offers young people opportunity to build a career in bartending
HAMILTON, Bermuda, January 22, 2024 /3BL/ - Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi is today launching Shake Your Future in five cities across Italy. The initiative, which this year is offering 40 young people the life-changing opportunity to start a career in the world of mixology, will take place in the city of Genoa for the first time ever – as well as Milan, Rome, Turin and Naples.
Now in its fourth year in Italy, the Shake Your Future program begins with a four-week training course to acquire the skills necessary for a career in bartending, which is followed by a four-week internship, when the students can gain their first valuable experience in a respected local bar, which is a partner of Bacardi. Graduates receive an internationally recognized diploma and access to permanent employment opportunities in the industry, empowering them to transform their lives and build a brighter future.
“Every single person who walks into a bar should enjoy an unforgettable experience. Shake Your Future will give these young people the skills they need to deliver that experience and the skills that our bar partners are desperately looking for. I am proud that over the last three years, we have changed the lives of more than 100 students in Italy thanks to Shake Your Future," comments Massimo Barboni, Country Manager for Bacardi in Italy.
Shake Your Future is helping to meet the hospitality industry’s urgent need for professionally trained bartenders. To ensure each student gains all the required skills Bacardi is collaborating with renowned bartender schools across the country including: Mixology Academy, in Rome and Milan, Sweet & Sour of Turin, the Flair Bartender's School of Naples and the Timossi Academy of Genoa.
The 2024 program includes a fantastic prize. The students will work on their own personal twist on the classic Americano cocktail, one of which will be selected by Shake Your Future mentor, Alexander Frezza, to be included on the official drink list of the bar he co-founded, L'Antiquario di Napoli, one of the World’s 50 Best Bars.
“When I stepped behind the bar for the first time, I could never have imagined it would lead to where I am today,” said Alex Frezza. “This industry opens up a world of possibilities and through Shake Your Future, Bacardi is opening up that world to these students. I am excited to be here at the start of their journey and to help them achieve their dreams.”
Bacardi invests in Good Spirited ESG initiatives that set goals for a brighter future for all, focusing on doing the right thing by its consumers, employees, business partners, the communities where it operates, and the environment. Find out more at www.bacardilimited.com/good-spirited.
-ENDS-
Media enquiries:
Andrew Carney, Communications Director Europe, acarney@bacardi.com
Jessica Merz, VP Global Corporate Communications, jmerz@bacardi.com
Always drink responsibly.
About Bacardi
Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held international spirits company, produces, markets, and distributes spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, PATRÓN® tequila, GREY GOOSE® vodka, DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES® 100% blue agave 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 11 countries and territories, and sells its brands in more than 160 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
