A project conceived to encourage and increase the accessibility of glass recycling in Cartagena, Colombia, has taken top spot at the third edition of Altos Tequila’s The Tahona Society Competition. Taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 26th-29th June, the global finale of Altos’ sustainability-focused competition saw 12 bartenders from around the world go head-to-head as they pitched their very own sustainable/welfare-focused initiative for the chance to win a $50,000 grant to make their concept a reality.
Jenny Teasdale and Jeffrey Garcia’s winning project, Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena, aims to change the perception of glass waste, create jobs in the local community and encourage bars to recycle in a city where this has historically been borderline impossible. Using the $50,000 prize fund, Teasdale and Garcia will build a new recycling centre in Cartagena in order to make glass recycling more widely available than ever before and unite the city’s bars in taking the next step towards a more sustainable future for the local community – and beyond.
Jenny Teasdale comments: “The Tahona Society Competition will be life-changing – not just for us, but for our local community in Cartagena. Glass waste in Cartagena has long been problematic, but our winning project, Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste, aims to recycle up to 25% of the glass waste generated by tourism in the city within 2 years. We’re incredibly grateful to The Tahona Society and Altos Tequila for this opportunity, and we’re looking forward to putting the $50,000 grant to good use as we begin building the first industrial glass recycling centre in the city.”
The win for Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste Cartagena is the result of many months’ work for Teasdale and Garcia – from winning their local final in Colombia, to undergoing an intensive 3-month long coaching process in the lead-up to the competition’s climax featuring one-to-one training and hands-on workshops from business and marketing experts. This included Kirén Miret, Executive Producer of Mexico and Colombia´s Shark Tank reality television series, Dré Masso, co-founder of Altos Tequila and Luis Antonio Espino, Private Strategic Communications Consultant – all of whom joined Michael Merolli, CEO at House of Tequila – Pernod Ricard, and Elliot Kotek, CEO and Founder of The Nation of Artists, on The Tahona Society Competition’s expert judging panel.
Dré Masso, Altos Tequila and The Tahona Society Co-Founder, says: “The Tahona Society Competition is growing on a global scale year-on-year, as sustainability retains its importance as a key issue which transcends the bartending community. We’re continually inspired by the calibre and variety of projects created by our collective of bartenders and Green Apple: Zero Glass Waste is a prime example of an initiative which embodies Altos Tequila’s core values of recycling and waste reduction.”
Carlos Andrés Ramírez, Global Advocacy & PR Manager at Pernod Ricard House of Tequila, concludes: “Through The Tahona Society, we have pioneered expert training not just in Tequila, but in the art of bartending and sustainable bar practices for almost 15 years. And we’re seeing the benefits of this education come to life through the sheer quality of projects The Tahona Society Competition generates. We want to say a huge congratulations to Jenny and Jeffrey of Green Apple: Zero Waste Cartagena, a breakthrough project which will make huge strides in reducing glass waste in this city. We’re looking forward to joining you on the journey towards making a success of this business venture and taking it beyond just Cartagena.”