Bacardi Shake Your Future Is Back and Bigger Than Ever in Italy

Topic:

The family-owned spirits company's initiative offers unemployed young adults a life-changing opportunity to train as a professional bartender
With skilled bartenders in more demand than ever, this year Bacardi in Italy welcomes its biggest cohort to date and expands to Naples for the first-time
More than 90% of Bacardi's Shake Your Future graduates in Italy are now working in hospitality

HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / October 20, 2022 / Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi is launching its biggest-ever edition of Shake Your Future this week, as it offers 50 unemployed young adults in Italy a life-changing opportunity to train as a professional bartender.

Now in its third year, more than 90% of graduates of the Bacardi program in Italy are now enjoying successful careers in hospitality. As the bartender training program kicks off again in Milan, Turin and Rome, Shake Your Future is also launching in Naples for the first-time.

"We are so proud of everything we have already achieved with Shake Your Future in Italy. We take our commitment to doing the right thing seriously, so now we go further, expanding our program to help transform the lives of more young adults than ever before," comments Stephane Cluzet, Country Manager Italy, Bacardi.

Participants in the 10-week Shake Your Future program are trained in the art of bartending and cocktail-making, and gain invaluable work experience in some of the industry's leading bars and restaurants. 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.

Stephane adds: "We couldn't do it without the support of our partners in the bar industry who offer valuable work experience for our students, and we love to give back by introducing talented new bartenders for the future. This is a truly win-win program, and as a family-owned company, it is one that is very close to our hearts. Launching our students onto successful career paths and opening the doors to a brand new world of mixology is incredibly rewarding."

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.

One such supporter is Giuliana Giancano, owner of Pout Pourri Vintage Cafè, Turin who began offering Shake Your Future students work experience placements last year. She said: "It's fantastic to participate in an initiative that gives a concrete opportunity to those who need a helping hand and a first step on the ladder to becoming professional bartenders. Mixology in Italy is seeing a lot of interest, and it's wonderful to see the Shake Your Future students share that interest and enthusiasm. If there is interest there is growth, if there is growth there is interest."

Another new addition for this year's program is an exciting collaboration with Alex Frezza, founder of L'Antiquario cocktail bar in Naples, ranked one of the World's 50 Best Bars. As a successful, well-known figure in the Italian cocktail scene, Alex will serve as an inspiring mentor for the Shake Your Future class of 2022, hosting masterclasses and making one-to-one connections with the students as they embark on their exciting career journey.

In the last six months, Bacardi has expanded its Shake Your Future program globally with successful launches in South Africa and India. With more launches planned for the coming months, the company has set itself the bold target to introduce 10,000 new bartenders to the industry by 2030.

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.

About Bacardi

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held 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, GREY GOOSE® vodka, PATRÓN® tequila, 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 160 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs more than 8,000 people, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit http://www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Media enquiries:
Phillippa Williams, Communications Manager, Western Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Bacardi, [email protected]

Andrew Carney, Communications Director, Western Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Bacardi, [email protected]