Josh Gabelich
We all know Patrón Tequila as the party starter, but now the luxury Mexican spirit is digging into its own pockets to keep the party going for one Australian craftsperson.
At a time when most of the world has suffered financial or physical implications due to the coronavirus pandemic, Patrón is looking to support people in the design, fashion and hospitality industries with a $25,000 graft to assist the winner to continue their craft.
The Patrón 60 Hands – Pay It Forward craftmanship grant is a national competition available to everyone from sculptors and landscape designers to tailors and chefs, which requires entrants to submit a short video detailing what craftmanship means to them.
While the popular tequila company has established itself as one of the premier spirits on the planet, Patrón is still exclusively handcrafted – it takes sixty hands to complete the product – in the highlands of Jalisco in western Mexico; – in the same small batches and with the same uncompromising commitment to excellence.
The process behind Patrón Tequila is much longer than you or I would expect.
It starts with harvesting Weber Blue Agave over seven years, before it is hand-chopped and baked for over 70 hours in a brick oven.
The plant is then crushed using the ancient Tahona stone and modern roller mill. The agave juice is then fermented for three days before being distilled in small-batch copper pots. Once distilled, the tequila is aged in five different varieties of oak barrels.
Patrón is also dedicated to sustainability practices and supporting the local community through a variety of initiatives.
And that’s why this grant is so important to them.
To add immense prestige to this competition, six of Australia’s most polished and acclaimed craftsmen and women have been appointed judges.
Founders of boutique fashion label Camilla and AND Marc, Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, Pt. Leo Estate’s celebrated culinary director Phil Wood, the award-winning architects behind Brisbane’s The Calile Hotel, Ingrid Richards and Adrian Spence, comedian and architecture connoisseur Tim Ross, founder and creative director of White Story, Fiona Myer and the man behind international surfboard brand HaydenShapes, Hayden Cox, will all decide who takes home the $25,000 grant.
We all know someone who could benefit from this… time to pass on this message!
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Craftspeople who wish to apply for the PATRÓN 60 Hands grant are invited to submit an application via the website HERE. Applications are now open and close at midnight on Friday 23 October (AEST).