Whether you work in the industry or not, there is probably not a soul alive who hasn’t at one time or another thought it would be really cool to own a bar. Then the pandemic hit, the bars were closed down, and most of us couldn’t imagine anything worse.
Even at the best of times, running a bar is all about being able to turn on a dime. You have the demands from patrons, from staff, from licensing, from liquor companies, from hours that are punishing, and from family members who never see you.
This is why Havana Club established their Bar Entrepreneur Award, as a way to acknowledge, celebrate, but perhaps more importantly, encourage those bar entrepreneurs who have taken a leap of faith and are doing amazing things across the globe.
“I think that an initiative like this is really, really clever,” said this year’s winner, Oliver Margan from the bar Maybe Mae in Adelaide, Australia. “Rather than getting a good bartender to promote a good drink for a period of time, they’re trying to accumulate some really smart and savvy successful operators from all around the world.
“They’re trying to empower them to use their autonomy to be even better at what they’re doing than they currently are,” he continued. “I think, by way of association, it builds a really strong business rapport between a company like that and an operator like myself or the other finalists.
Margan is the first to admit that feeling empowered by a liquor company is a bit of an unusual feeling, but he is very much aware of the importance of awards like this to the industry, especially now.
“Well, I mean, it’s a pretty significant accolade,” he continued. “I don’t know what the direct effect on the bar will be. I mean, we’re limited with international and even domestic tourism at the moment.
“It’s a nice pat on the back for both me and my team and a nice little breath of wind in the sails. I mean, this last year has been very taxing. So, to get nice news like that at the end of it, it’s great.
So how did a bar-owner from a small Australian city win such an impressive international honour? After all, when you talk about the great cocktail cities around the world, Adelaide isn’t usually one that leaps to mind. In all probability, most people have probably never heard of it.
But if you are ever lucky enough to go, you will realise what an extraordinary, although under-rated, cocktail scene it has.
With long-established wineries within an hour’s drive of the city, a variety of spirits producers including Never Never Distillery, who has won a host of awards including World’s Best Classic Gin (two years in a row), Adelaide has been poised for greatness. But six years ago, when Margan stated Maybe Mae, the road forward wasn’t so clear.
“What Simon Difford, who is the founder of this competition, articulated to me as the clincher was that, to achieve what I’ve achieved with, not only Maybe Mae, but the other venues that I’m affiliated with was the point.
“If I had done it in a city like New York or London it would have been less revolutionary, but to have set up programmes and worked with the community, as well as the industry, has been a much more ambitious thing to pull off where I am.
Although Margan is quick to point out that he couldn’t take all the credit, it’s easy to see how influential his impact on the Adelaide scene has been. And while the city is not yet widely acknowledged, publicity like this is helping it on its way.
“I’ve been a really strong advocate for Adelaide as a brand since I got into this industry,” he said. “I’m not from there, but I recognise that it’s a very special place, that it’s going to struggle to get the recognition that it deserves unless we beat our chest a little bit and make a bit of noise.”
And Margan has made that noise, not only with the establishment and incredible success of Maybe Mae, but also with the other seven venues he has been a part of since then. While the sustainable operational program that all of these venues have been running since their opening is impressive, many would say, it is the philanthropic ventures for the industry that have had the biggest impact.
His support for gender equality within the industry, as well as his assistance to other bartenders impacted by closure during lockdown through ‘Melbourne Maybe’ has resulted in his influence being felt throughout the country.
And that concern for the future of the industry is something that Margan fully intends to continue and expand. A portion of the twenty-thousand-pound prize money from Havana Club will go towards a partnership with a recently formed not-for-profit organisation that works to support the people in hospitality.
“My current manager, Michael Keogh, and a few of my alumni staff have set this up,” he explained. “Basically, the idea of @thepursuitofhospitality is to provide all the support that operators really should be providing, but maybe aren’t, including things around just mentorship and education.
Margan explains that the charity will look at everything from wine and spirit education, to money management and mental health support. “Whether people want to eventually be venue owners or get into distillation, they can explain what the path would look like and act as a networking tool,” he explained.
“I think the biggest thing will be, hopefully, helping get this hospitality collective off the ground and to watch these guys do something that is, I think, really, really important. And, if we can assist, that then will give them the financial freedom to see that work the way that they want it to.”
Of course, this is all part of what Anne Martin, Global Marketing Director at Havana Club International meant when she spoke about Margan’s ambition and vision in her statement about his win. “He is a true testament to the hard work and dedication that continues to prevail in the bar industry,” she continued.
Margan probably explains his drive best when he talks about a Japanese word, Kaizen, which has very much been his mantra. “It basically refers to the constant progression towards perfection,” he explained. “Trying to achieve that keeps people coming through the door, keeps the business growing, keeps the staff engaged, keeps the attention on you. The minute you stop doing that, it all starts to slow down.”
