Del Toro is the founder of Rufina Mezcalería based in León and he represented Mexico in the global final, which took place in Barcelona on 20 March. Torres Brandy Zero Challenge recognises and rewards sustainable bar projects to promote a new mindset for bartending which prioritises the environment.
His project, Zero Workshop: Giving a Second Chance, transforms Rufina’s discarded glass bottles into lamps, glassware or barware, bypassing traditional recycling to cut carbon emissions. Del Toro also employs senior people facing job market challenges due to their age and the €30,000 prize money will now go towards investing in and scaling up his project.
“Glass should have a life beyond a single use. Giving a voice to the planet is my mission,” said Del Toro, who is also part of León’s environmental commission.
The global final saw 10 countries represented across a three-day event where they presented their projects to the judging panel and prepared a cocktail from a mystery box in front of a live audience.
The focus of the competition is heavily based on the sustainability project, which accounts for 90% of the judging scores, while the remaining 10% is rewarded for the bartender’s skills in the mystery box round.
Other pitched projects included replacing imported tropical citrus acid with local alternatives, investing in aluminium can collections and repurposing waste into natural soap production.
Christian Visalli, global spirits director of Juan Torres Master Distillers and jury member, added: “We were impressed by both the level of all the projects submitted and the growing commitment of the sector to environmental and social sustainability issues. We look forward to seeing the implementation of the winning project and will continue to support the sector, as we will soon announce the third edition of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge.”
