Last month, the third edition of Women & Hospitality was held in Barcelona, organized by Paradiso Bar. Seven of the most influential women in the global industry gathered to celebrate, teach, and share over a weekend.
At this event, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ines de los Santos, who was recently named one of the most influential women by the renowned magazine Drinks International.
I could provide an extensive introduction about Ines’s professional achievements, but you can see that information just by visiting her profile. Instead, I find it much more important to share what I felt during just a few minutes of conversation.
In five minutes, I saw and heard firsthand the unparalleled passion Ines has for this industry, the strength and joy with which she fights for her dreams, and how this undoubtedly has brought her to where she is today.
Without further ado, I leave you with her words:
How do you think the role of women in the industry has changed in recent years?
I think it’s been positive. Clearly, the place of women has grown increasingly in a world that was completely male-dominated or where the role given to women was simply to be the “pretty” face behind the bar, friendly and with a good image to boost sales. That was the role.
Today, we have more and more female bar managers, professionals, and bar owners. However, it’s still very uneven. It’s not equitable yet; there’s still work to be done. It’s a process, and there’s still a pivot to be made so that new professionals can have the place they deserve.
What do you think is needed to achieve that equity?
Time. I believe the new generations already have a very different mindset, so I think that because of the mindset of the new generations, there will be change. Not because of the old “machistas” giving women a place today. I don’t think that’s the real change.
The change will come with the new generation, and it will be a process of 20 years.
Being in a male-dominated industry, is there a specific challenge you remember having to overcome?
The challenge was constant. That was the way of working; those were the rules. When I started working, I had two male colleagues, and I was their boss. I started as a bar manager, yet customers treated me like a secretary. “Can’t you ask him to make me a Bloody Mary?,” they would say. I would laugh and offer to make one myself.
Sometimes I didn’t take it well, but I was raised with a very feminist mindset, my mother was an activist, and I knew the rules of the game. I was always very pragmatic with my goals.
“When I want something, I achieve it.” It didn’t matter how difficult it was; I had an energy and tenacity that was fueled by the “machistas” himself, so it was like an energy I transformed to empower myself.
Do you feel you’ve achieved your goals today?
Yes, I believe I have professionalized this trade, and I think what I’ve achieved or what I’m most proud of is being a woman who inspires other women to enter this field.
Besides tenacity, what other characteristics do you think helped you achieve what you have today?
I am very hardworking, very fun. I’m like a hardworking child, and that combination is infallible for working in bars. Having fun and enjoying working brings a very good, very positive energy to a job that is very difficult.
Working at night is complicated; you have to love it. So I believe that the passion I have for this profession since I started, along with my work ethic and desire to achieve my goals, helped me a lot.
Finally, what advice would you give to girls starting in this field?
The first thing I would advise them is to think and be clear about what they want. You have to know what you want. If you want to be great professionals, follow those ideas, work hard.
Simply pursue your goals, and with a lot of hard work, you will achieve them.
