MEET OUR MAKE IT ROUND 1 WINNERS: Three After 3
Our first round of Make it elicited a wave of amazing ideas. Event concepts, artistic visions, drink development – we saw it all. In the end, we felt every applicant deserved an interview, and have offered our professional support to everyone we spoke to.
But there could only be one winner of the cash investment. This round, that winner was Three After 3, an amazing initiative by three friends from London hoping to invoke positive change within the hospitality industry. Get to know more about them and their mission below.
Who or what is Three After 3?
ThreeAfter3 is an organisation that aims to promote education, connection, and visibility for women in the drinks industry. We aim to do this by creating events and resources that centre women's voices, and support connections between more experienced players and new up and comers in the cocktail world.
What inspired you?
Our initial inspiration was meeting each other at a cocktail competition and realising how excited we were that there was more than one other woman (out of twelve contestants) present... Not enough for us. So we decided we wanted to facilitate something that supplied what we would have wanted a few years ago when we were still starting out in bars – namely, somewhere to learn, and some great women to learn from.
How does your organisation benefit creative/ hospitality industries?
Hopefully we benefit those looking to know a bit more, and grow themselves and their career – whether that's from our first talk, learning from Nicole Sykes and Chelsie Bailey on how to compete in cocktail competitions, or from our podcast, learning from a myriad of cool people about lesser known spirits. We also aim to help create bonds and connection between women in the industry, and for us connection and education are big parts of replenishing creative energies. After all, the more you know, the more tools you have to work with and inspire you in turn.
How was the pandemic affected your idea?
So many ways! We actually only managed to do one event before lockdown began, so we had to swivel quick-sharp to try and figure out what we could do. We spoke to several key women over Instagram live during Lockdown One, both about what they are passionate about, and how they're dealing with the lockdown. We then turned to the podcast, because we had time to devote, and we want to build towards being a thorough educational resource.
Where do you see Three After 3 going in the next year?
Well, if the last year has taught us anything it's that plans often go askew... But if we had to guess we'd say hopefully putting out another season of the podcast, and eventually getting back to in-person events! Being able to meet people is hugely important in this industry, and being able to meet people who represent different backgrounds and stories is so important to making the most of the rich tapestry that this industry can be.
What is the end goal?
The end goal for us would be to become a space young women come to to learn and grow, and create both a network between all the amazing women in our bars, and an archive, of sorts, of resources they can use.