The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge 2026 has found its winner: Camila Flechas, bartender at Alquímico in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, claimed the €30,000 prize at the global final held in Barcelona on April 19–21, impressing an international jury with a visionary educational project that puts at-risk youth on a path into professional hospitality.
The Winning Project: Alquímico School of Hospitality
Flechas’ winning initiative, the Alquímico School of Hospitality, is an education programme designed to prepare young people between the ages of 17 and 25 — many facing social exclusion — for sustainable, internationally competitive careers in the hospitality industry. The project was conceived as a direct response to a global reality that anyone running a bar program knows all too well: a persistent, widening shortage of qualified professionals.
What sets the school apart is its refusal to stay within the traditional boundaries of classroom learning. The curriculum blends technical education with paid, hands-on work experience at Alquímico itself — ranked 11th on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 — giving students the kind of real-world exposure that no amount of theory can replicate. The program projects an employability rate of 80 percent, with many graduates expected to go on to work at acclaimed international bars.
Rooted in craftsmanship, sustainability, and community, the project frames hospitality as what Flechas calls an “alchemical process” — a space where education, cultural exchange, and opportunity converge to create lasting global impact.
“Winning the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge has reaffirmed my belief that hospitality is most powerful when it creates opportunity and purpose,” Flechas said. “This recognition is not just about a drink or an idea, but about using our platform to educate, empower, and open doors for the next generation. For me, it is a reminder that innovation in hospitality must always be rooted in people, community, and the possibility of meaningful change.”
The Judges and How They Scored
The three finalists were evaluated by a panel of international experts across four criteria: the idea itself, sustainability credentials, the business plan, and potential for future growth. The judges brought serious weight to the table — Mandy Naglich, award-winning journalist and drinks consultant; Julianne Caillouette-Noble, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Restaurant Association; and François Monti, drinks author and Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars.
It is a judging structure that reflects the ambitions of the competition itself: this is not a bartending skills contest. The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge explicitly asks participants to think beyond the bar top — to consider supply chains, communities, carbon footprints, and social equity in equal measure.
The Other Finalists
The two additional global finalists who advanced to the Barcelona final demonstrated the breadth of thinking the competition is now attracting.
Paul Aguilar of Himkok in Norway pitched Side Hustle Water, a still vitamin-enriched water formulated specifically for hospitality professionals — addressing the occupational reality that long, demanding shifts and irregular hours often push bar workers toward less healthy habits. It is a deceptively simple idea targeting a problem the industry rarely acknowledges out loud.
Jason Strohan of St Tropez Bistro and Parlor Bar in Canada brought Forgotten Fruit to the final — an urban produce-rescue network that mobilizes volunteer collectors to harvest overlooked or unwanted fruit, reducing food waste while reinforcing community ties. The project sits squarely at the intersection of circular economy thinking and neighborhood-level action.
What Familia Torres Said
Miguel Torres Maczassek, fifth-generation member of Familia Torres, presented the award and framed the competition’s broader mission with clarity:
“The finalists of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge 2026 represent the best expression of what our industry can achieve when creativity meets responsibility. Through this initiative, Familia Torres is helping to strengthen a global community of professionals who are committed to doing things differently, challenging the status quo, and leading by example. All movements start with an intention, and their work shows that our industry is ready to move forward and embrace a more sustainable future.”
The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge was founded to drive environmental and social commitment across the hospitality sector, drawing directly from the work Familia Torres has been doing in the wine industry for over 16 years. The competition expanded its scope in 2025 to include a wider roster of countries and a broader diversity of projects — extending eligibility beyond bar teams to restaurant teams as well. Every proposal must address specific socio-environmental challenges with measurable impact: CO₂ reduction, waste minimization, material recycling, or social inclusion.
The Bigger Signal
It has been four editions now, and the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge is doing something distinct within the awards landscape: it is asking the industry’s most creative people not to make a better cocktail, but to build a better industry. Flechas’ win — with a project that turns one of the world’s top-ranked bars into a social mobility engine — is exactly the kind of outcome that makes that premise credible.
For an industry that frequently talks about legacy and community, the Alquímico School of Hospitality is the rare initiative that turns those words into a curriculum. Keep an eye on the next cohort of graduates coming out of Cartagena — if the program delivers on its 80-percent employability promise, the next wave of talent walking into acclaimed bars worldwide may well have learned their craft there.
As the bar world’s conversation around sustainability deepens, competitions like this one are increasingly where the industry’s most actionable ideas surface first.
