CAMPARI GROUP OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED CAMPARI ACADEMY ASIA IN BANGKOK WITH SPECIAL SESSION WITH “MONICA BERG” Campari Academy brings a bartender-led program of curated content to educate, connect and inspire to the thriving bar industry in Bangkok
CAMPARI GROUP officially launched CAMPARI ACADEMY, the global educational platform for the international bartending community, to provide insight and knowledge on all aspects of the industry, from skills and techniques to wider issues and topics for debate with Monica Berg, Creative Director at Paragon Cineplex, Siam Paragon.
From Left:
- Calra Porter
- Symphony Loo, On Premise Channel Manager SEA
- Monica Barg, Creative Director
- Simone Massaro, Global Trade Advocacy Director
- Giulia Vedelago, Global Campari Academy Manager
- Arno Schonfelder, ALCHEMY THAILAND, General Manager
Campari Group, the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry, announces the expansion of the Campari Academy, which is now launching as a global activation with drinks industry icon Monica Berg at its helm as Creative Director. A first of its kind educational platform for the international bartending community, which provides a unique blend of a globally accessible digital space with an established and successful network of physical hubs for the industry to come together, it takes inspiration from outside of the drinks industry to educate, connect and inspire bartenders at all levels of their career on a global scale in a way that’s never been seen before.
Campari Academy will now be a global digital platform complemented by an on the ground local Campari Academy network in key markets around the world, with local teams already in Italy, the US, Spain, Brazil, Austria, Jamaica, China and Australia, with more to follow. The global platform will be a space for the international bartending community to connect and discuss news and trends, share ideas and goals, and grow their own professional network. This in turn will be supported by the local Campari Academy network that will coordinate on the ground activations and networking opportunities for communities in their region.
In Thailand, Campari Academy Asia was officially launched at Paragon Cineplex, Siam Paragon, where 230 seats were filled in less than 48 hours after public announcement. Monica Berge, the program’s creative director, too centre stage and gave participants, opportunities to delve deep into the world of mixology through an introductory overview of the academy, followed by an in-dept session on raw materials and flavours.
Creative Director Monica Berg says “Being part of the Campari Academy as Creative Director is hugely important to me. The industry needs educational platforms which can impart knowledge, inspire creativity and prompt discussions which the bartending community can really engage with. By working directly with bartenders as well as leading voices from varied disciplines, we can provide the community with a network and platform which currently doesn’t exist. “At this point in my career, I’m lucky to be someone that opens the door for the new generations, because I have more experience that many of them from my 20-plus years of working as a bartender,” says Berg, Norwegian-born, London-based bar owner and digital innovator. “I know very well that we are you are young, passionate and have many new ideas, unfortunately what you sometimes miss is the power to enforce and execute those ideas. But then, when you have more years of experience, you may be lacking that youthful energy but you probably have a wider reach. You can bring the best of two worlds by blending the two together.”
At the launch event, Berg also introduced a flagship element of the Campari Academy, the docuseries “Perspectives”, that gave insight into poignant topics relating to the drinks industry and hospitality, and how they’re interpreted around the world. Two of Bangkok’s most prolific bartenders, Noppasate “Depp” Hirunwathit and Tamaryn “Makham” Cooper, then graced the bar at the Aperitivo bar, where selected cocktails from the sessions were created and served to participants.
Under the supervision of Monica Berg, a team of drinks industry experts will continue to be instrumental in shaping the Campari Academy program, applying their insights, experience, and knowledge to ensure it resonates with the bartending community. Alongside these experts, Campari Academy will work with a global network of leading voices from a range of disciplines and backgrounds that complement the spirits industry to create engaging and inspiring content which sets the academy apart from any other educational platform. It aims to engage and inspire bartenders in any bar, restaurant or hotel, in any market around the world, at any level – from junior team members just starting out in the industry to those at the peak of their career.
About Campari Group:
Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities.
Global Priorities, the Group’s key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey e Grand Marnier.
The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas.
The Group’s growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses.
Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, Campari Group owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 22 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,000 people.
The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM), have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001.
About Campari Academy:
Campari Academy is a first of its kind educational platform which blends a globally accessible online digital space with on the ground hubs from the physical local Campari Academy network in key markets around the world. Launched in 2010 with Campari Academy Italia, it was followed by local Campari Academies in the US, Spain, Brazil, Austria, Jamaica, China and Australia.
In May 2022 Campari Group expanded the Campari Academy by launching a global educational platform for the international bartending community, to provide insight and knowledge on all aspects of the industry, from skills and techniques to wider issues and topics for debate. With Monica Berg serving as Creative Director, Campari Academy has a unique and unrivalled connection to the drinks industry, providing an educational platform like no other.
The global platform will be a space for the international bartending community to connect and discuss news and trends, share ideas and goals, and grow their own professional network. This in turn will be supported by the local Campari Academy network that will coordinate on the ground activations and networking opportunities for communities in their region. Throughout 2022, Campari Group will expand the local Campari Academy network with launches in additional markets and with further expansion plans in the years to follow.
About Monica Berg:
Monica Berg is a London based multi – award winning bartender and entrepreneur. Her work includes Muyu liqueurs and critically acclaimed London bar(s) Tayēr + Elementary with partner Alex Kratena – recently named as the second-best bar in the world at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021.
She continues to be recognized for her distinctive and adventurous drinks style, voted as the most influential international bartender in Drinks International’s Bar World 100 2021, and in 2019 won both the prestigious “International Bartender of The Year” at Spirited Awards, Tales of The Cocktail, and “Bartender’s Bartender” by The Worlds 50 Best Bars.
She is the co-founder of P(OUR), an industry non- profit and charity, which works to expand drinks knowledge across the bar community and supports communities producing regional ingredients for the drinks and food industry. She also launched BackOfHouse.Info, a free online resource for small businesses to get anonymous feedback from their teams, and where employees can flag harmful behaviour, discrimination and harassment.
In 2020 Monica Berg and Alex Kratena won the Bar Innovators of The Year Award by Class Magazine and during Covid19 crisis launched Tayēr RTD; a collection of ready to drink bottled cocktails, which bring together the best of classics and contemporary flavours.
Her latest project is working with Campari Academy as its Creative Director as it launches its global educational platform for the international bartending community.
