Norway’s Daniel Pappa wins Torres Zero Challenge 2025
The winner of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge 2025 has been revealed following the contest’s three-day final in Barcelona last week.
From Svanen, a cocktail bar in Oslo, Norway, Pappa has been crowned the winner and has received a €30,000 (US$31,398) prize to bring his sustainable project to life.
His winning project was called D.G.Æ (The Ugly Duckling) and looked to combat waste by repurposing surplus and damaged farm products.
It did this by transforming food waste into valuable ingredients, such as syrups, cordials, sodas, liquors and fruit wines. The project not only helps local farmers, but also reduces costs, minimises plastic packaging and lowers the carbon footprint associated with importing goods.
Of his triumph, Pappa commented: “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 integrate renewable energy, reinforcing our commitment to a more sustainable future for the hospitality industry.”
Joining Pappa in making it through to the challenge’s final round were Gerardo Vázquez Lugo of Nicos, Mexico City, and Mika Ammunét of Bar Mate in Helsinki, Finland.
There were 11 contestants in the final group, each of whom represented a different country having won their national finals in February. The 11 participants were tasked with presenting a sustainably-minded project to a panel of judges at the grand final last week, which took place between 25-27 March in Barcelona, Spain, the base of Torres Brandy.
The judging panel of consisted of spirits global managing director at Familia Torres Christian Visalli; technical architect Glòria Font Basté; sustainability consultant Jose Luis Gallego; engineer, consultant and project manager within environmental, sustainability and circular economy sectors, Marc Basany; and last year’s Zero Challenge winner, Alberto del Toro.
The judging criteria factored in four main areas; the idea, its sustainability, its business plan and its future growth. Mireia Torres, research and development director at Familia Torres and a member of the fifth generation, presented the award.
Torres Brandy Zero Challenge 2025 presented the biggest edition yet, expanding its international reach with more countries and also featuring a greater diversity of projects. Beyond bar teams, applications from the restaurant side were added to this year’s challenge, too.
The challenge was founded to drive environmental commitment in the hospitality industry and raise awareness for the impact of climate change.
Closing the curtain on this year’s edition, Visalli added: “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.”
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