BEA2020

HAVANA CLUB BAR ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: The Winners

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards Winners

Last week, we were excited to watch the winners being crowned at the 2020 Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards; a competition that recognises the passion, entrepreneurship and this year particularly, the resilience and determination of the people behind the world’s most revolutionary bars. A respected panel of judges crowned one overall winner and three other category winners from a shortlist of thirteen finalists. 

Here are the winners of this year’s Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards. Remember their names - you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future!

Overall Winner: Oliver Margan

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur of the year winner Oliver Margan

Meet Oliver Margan, overall winner of the 2020 Bar Entrepreneur awards. Having founded cocktail bar Maybe Mae six years ago, in the heart of Adelaide’s west end, at the tender age of twenty two, Oliver has been credited for establishing the city’s cocktail culture, with six new bar openings under his belt. What impressed the judges the most was his unfailing optimism and entrepreneurial spirit, which sits alongside his highly regarded skills behind the bar, a focus on sustainably sourced cocktail ingredients and his support for gender equality within the industry. Oliver was awarded with a €20,000 cash prize to invest in his business. 

Other Category Winners

As well as crowing an overall winner, Havana Club awarded €10,000 each to three other candidates who showed determination and passion in three other categories: The True Grit Award, which honours strength, resilience and bravery during the most challenging period of modern-day hospitality; One to Watch, which focuses on emerging talent and the achievements of those under the age of 30 and Social & Eco Entrepreneurship, which recognises a commitment to improving the environment or a local community, while achieving business success.

Winner: True Grit - Rani Al Raji

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur of the year true grit winner rani al raji

This year’s True Grit award was presented to Rani Al Raji, owner of Beirut’s Brazzaville; a neighbourhood bar that has continued to serve the community and remain a hub of positivity through the challenges of 2020 including the pandemic and Beirut’s horrific explosion. Rani’s team did what they could not just to survive, but to thrive despite the shortages and the struggles seen in the country’s capital. 

 Winner: Social and Eco Entrepreneurship: - Yeferson Avila and Jean Trinh

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards Social and Eco Entrepreneurship Winner Yeferson Avila and Jean Trinh

Columbia’s Yeferson Avila and Jean Trinh, co-owners of Alquímico Farm in Cartagena, were awarded with the Social and Eco Entrepreneurship prize for their commitment to keeping their staff, small producers and local farmers in business despite the pressures of the pandemic. While having to close their popular, three-story mansion bar, Yeferson and Jean instead put their team to work at the Alquímico Farm where they grow organic produce to use in their cocktail programme. The farm has since become an educational space for the local agricultural community and professionals from the drinks industry who want to learn more about vegetables, fruits and spices from planting to harvest.

Winner: One to Watch - Omer Gazit-Shalev

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards One to Watch Winner Omer Gazit Shalev

Omer is a clear rising star in the global bar community. He managed to impress the judges with the variety and diversity of projects he has taken on despite his young age. As the CEO of Monkey Business, a unique style of hospitality group, he and his teams manage several of Israel’s most famous food and drink venues and are being credited with redefining the country’s bar experience in general.

The Judges

The judges for this competition are all key figures in the global drinks and business industries:

  • Rhys Oldfield: co-founder of Be at One and a leading adviser to food and drink businesses.

  • Juan Valls: owner of El Nino, Sinner Club and key figure behind Spain’s FIBAR.

  • Vijay Mudaliar: founder of Native Bar in Singapore and its concept to explore local culture through the lens of drinks.

  • Ara Carvallo: co-founder of Barra Mexico, the world’s first zero carbon bar trade show and Latin America’s key spirits trade show.

  • Kelsey Ramage: winner of the One to Watch category in 2019 and owner of Trash Tiki, which focuses on creating cocktails from waste.

  • Tess Posthumus: successful business entrepreneur and owner of the Netherlands’ leading bars, Flying Dutchman and Dutch Courage in Amsterdam.

  • Cécile Bulle: business educator who leads a mentoring programme helping students and alumni from Paris Dauphine University establish their business.

  • Rasmus Lomborg: bartender, bar manager and entrepreneur who has opened multiple bars across the UK and Europe.

The winners were announced during a virtual ceremony presented by leading global rum ambassador Ian Burrell and featured a showstopping live concert from international rapper Kelvyn Colt.


To find out more about the awards and the winners check out @havanaclub_pro on Instagram, use the hashtag #BEA2020 or read more here

Havana Club 2020 Bar Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony

Havana Club 2020 Bar Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony thethreedrinkers.com the three drinkers

Calling all bartenders and mixologists! The finalists have been announced for the Havana Club 2020 Bar Entrepreneur Awards. Here’s why you should watch the ceremony and get involved…

At 3DHQ, we’re super excited about this year’s Bar Entrepreneur Awards taking place on Monday 25th January, which celebrates the most dynamic and pioneering figures within the bartending community across the globe who have impressed the judges in what has been a year of extraordinary challenges. Are you tuning in?

What are the Bar Entrepreneur Awards?

The Bar Entrepreneur Awards are brought to us by Havana Club, the globally renowned, authentic Cuban rum who seek to recognise and celebrate exceptional bartending entrepreneurs and crown a winner from a shortlist of 13 finalists over 4 continents.

When & Where?

Join Havana Club in a virtual celebration of the finalists at 1pm GMT on January 25th, 2021. In this lively celebration of talent, which will be hosted by our friend and global rum ambassador, Ian Burrell, you’ll be treated to a live concert from an international rapper and inspirational speeches from key spokespeople in the spirits world.

Click here to sign up to watch.

To find out more, visit and follow @havanaclub_pro on Instagram and use the hashtag #BEA2020.

Havana Club 2020 Bar Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony thethreedrinkers.com the three drinkers

Awards & Prizes

The winner will be awarded €20,000 to invest in their business.

Other Awards

As well as crowing an overall winner, Havana Club will award €10,000 each to three other candidates who have shown determination and passion in the following categories: 

The True Grit Award: Honouring strength, resilience and bravery during the most challenging period of modern-day hospitality.

One to Watch: Focusing on emerging talent and the achievements of those under the age of 30.

Social & Eco Entrepreneurship: Recognising a commitment to improving the environment or a local community, while achieving business success.

Anne Martin, Global Marketing Director at Havana Club International, had this to say about the competition:

 “I am incredibly proud of Havana Club’s commitment in supporting bar owners, who are the driving force behind our favourite bars. As a brand, we have been committed to supporting the community throughout the pandemic through various initiatives such as the Entrepreneur Frontline and Havana Club Hangouts, and we are continuing to recognise and award these key players by celebrating their entrepreneurship. The Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards acknowledge their passion and offer a fantastic opportunity to expand their status in the community even further. We wish all our finalists the very best of luck at the grand finale.”

The Previous Winner

Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony Carina Soto Velasquez thethreedrinkers.com the three drinkers

Last year’s 2019 winner was Carina Soto Velasquez from Paris, who wowed the judges through the launch of Quixotic Projects, shaking up the French capital’s bar scene. In an impressive move, Carina donated her prize to support the Parabere Forum; an annual event that gathers thought leaders in the field of gastronomy, food, and nutrition. Carina’s donation meant that a new ‘Parabere grant’ could be created, to offer opportunities for women to be given a voice and a platform to share their stories, build networks and achieve their goals.

2020 Finalists 

Here is the full list of finalists for the 2020 Havana Club Bar Entrepreneur Awards:

1.     Andrew Ho & Bastien Ciocca – Hope and Sesame, China
2.     Claudia Cabrera – Katio Del Valle, Mexico
3.     Dave Mulligan – Bar 1661, Ireland
4.     Diego Cabrera – Salmon Guru, Spain
5.     Igor Zernov – El Copitas Bar / Paloma Cantina / Must Have Bar, Russia
6.     James Hopkins – London Cocktail Club, UK
7.     Lucas Groglio  – Coctelería Consciente, Argentina
8.     Monica Berg – Tayer + Elementary, UK
9.     Oliver Margan – Maybe Mae, Australia
10.  Omer Gazit-Shalev – Monkey Business Group, Israel
11.  Rani Al Raji – Brazzaville, Lebanon
12.  Tato Giovannoni  – Floreria Atlantico, Argentina
13.  Yeferson Avila and Jean Trinh – Alquímico, Colombia

We think this relatively new competition is an absolute must for all passionate and driven mixologists and bartenders to gain recognition and kick start a new phase in their careers.

Will you be watching and will you enter next year?

Please share this with anyone you think should watch and get involved!

Team 3D x