Bacardi Offers Unemployed a Fresh Start With Free Bartender Training Program

HAMILTON, Bermuda, February 28, 2024 /3BL/ - Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi is once again changing lives in Madrid and Barcelona as it invites 30 young adults to take part in its free bartender training program, Shake Your Future. And mentoring this year’s students will be Mario Villalón, the highly-respected owner of one of Spain’s most sustainable cocktail bars, Angelita Madrid.

The four-week Shake Your Future program, which begins on February 24 in Barcelona and March 4 in Madrid, will give the students the skills necessary for not just a job but a life-long career in bartending. Graduates gain an internationally recognized diploma and with the full support of Bacardi and its network of hospitality partners, access to full time employment opportunities in the industry.

Key to the success of the Shake Your Future initiative in Spain are the close collaborations between Bacardi and the European Bartender School and labor associations, Barcelona Activa and Fundación Altius in Madrid.

Former Shake Your Future graduate Max De Boussiers, who is now a bartender at Cecconi's, Soho House Barcelona, said: “When I found out I had been selected for Shake Your Future, I yelled with happiness because I had the opportunity to join a program which could lead to amazing opportunities. Shake Your Future changed my life. Thanks to this program I found my first real, stable job and it’s a job that I love. Working with spirits is now my passion.”

“Shake Your Future not only supports the people in our local communities who need it most, it also helps our friends in the bar community to find the skilled bartenders they so desperately need,” said Amanda Almond, Managing Director for Bacardi Spain. “We are committed to supporting both communities in every way we can and Shake Your Future is an important part of that ongoing commitment.”

Mario Villalón, owner of Angelita Madrid, added: “I would not be where I am today without the support and inspiration of others along the way. By supporting Bacardi and its Shake Your Future initiative I can do the same for these students as they set out on their own personal journeys into the world of mixology.”

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 162 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.