The Norwegian winner impressed judges with his sustainable project ‘D.G.Æ (The Ugly Duckling)’, securing the €30,000 prize to bring the project to life
Daniel Pappa, Bartender at SVANEN in Oslo, has been declared the winner of the third edition of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge 2025, earning the €30,000 prize to bring his project to life. Representing Norway in the global final held in Barcelona this week, Pappa received top marks from the jury for his innovative initiative, ‘D.G.Æ (The Ugly Duckling)’ which will combat waste by repurposing surplus and damaged farm products.
Pappa’s award-winning project focuses on transforming food waste into valuable ingredients, such as syrups, cordials, sodas, liquors, and fruit wines. This sustainable approach not only helps support local farmers, but reduces costs, minimises plastic packaging, and lowers the carbon footprint associated with importing goods. As an up-and-coming bartender working at the renowned Oslo-based bar, Pappa is deeply passionate about integrating sustainability into the hospitality industry, using his platform to create a more eco-conscious future.
Daniel Pappa of SVANEN comments, “This award is incredibly important to us, as it allows us to bring to life a project we started many years ago. With this support, we can expand our Zero Waste brand globally, recovering a greater number of products that are often discarded due to their appearance and help us further reduce energy, water, land consumption, lower emissions, and create greater benefits for farmers in our community. Additionally, it will accelerate our efforts to integrating renewable energy, reinforcing our commitment to a more sustainable future for the hospitality industry.”
Mireia Torres, R&D Director at Familia Torres and a member of the fifth generation, presented the award at the global final, and emphasised the critical role of innovation in sustainable winemaking and the urgent need for action. Familia Torres have been tackling climate change since 2008, adapting to safeguard the quality of its wines and spirits whilst actively working to reduce its impact. Its commitment to sustainability is reflected in its ongoing efforts to minimise its carbon footprint, with the goal of becoming net-zero by 2040.
The two additional local finalists who made it through to the final round of the challenge included, Gerardo Vázquez Lugo of Nicos, Mexico City, Mexico, whose project ‘Nicos: Zero Waste’ introduced his country’s first zero-waste system within his venue, transforming food waste into compost and agricultural products for local families. Mika Ammunét of Bar Mate in Helsinki, Finland named his initiative ‘Mate Hospitality – Project Zero Burnouts’, focused on fostering a dynamic and supportive workplace by improving operation systems and ensuring the business adapts to the evolving needs of its employees, their well-being and professional growth.
Christian Visalli, Spirits Global Managing Director at Familia Torres comments, “We are extremely pleased with the continued progress of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge and its impact on the hospitality industry. By shifting the focus from cocktail presentations to the sustainability projects themselves, we have broadened participation, welcoming not only cocktail experts but also professionals from bars, hotels, and restaurants. The creativity and commitment demonstrated this year have been truly inspiring, reflecting the industry’s growing dedication to sustainable practices. We look forward to seeing the winning project come to life this year and remain committed to supporting the sector, as well as seeing the growth of the competition with next year’s 2026 edition!”
The three-day event welcomed the local finalists from 11 countries around the world, who pitched the sustainable projects they believe will enhance the hospitality industry and reduce its socio-environmental impact. Each project was judged by a panel of international experts, including Spirits Global Managing Director at Familia Torres Christian Visalli, technical architect Glòria Font Basté, sustainability consultor Jose Luis Gallego, engineer, consultant and project manager within Environmental, Sustainability and Circular Economy sectors Marc Basany and former winner of the 2nd edition of the competition, Alberto del Toro. They judged four areas of each project, the idea, sustainability, the business plan and the future growth, in order to be granted the prize money to bring their project to life.
The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge was founded to drive environmental commitment in the hospitality industry and raise awareness of the need to act against climate change, as Familia Torres has been doing in the wine sector for over 15 years. Driven by Torres Brandy, this international competition has expanded its scope in 2025 to a wider list of countries and with a greater diversity of projects. In addition to the bar industry, applications were also open to restaurant teams. Each proposal had to address specific socio-environmental challenges and have a measurable impact related to the reduction of CO2 emissions or waste, recycling of materials or social inclusion, among other aspects.
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