PROOF & COMPANY UNVEILS NEW CONSULTANCY BRAND, ‘PROOF CREATIVE’ AND ITS AWARD WINNING ‘20 PILLAR PLAN’
SINGAPORE, 22 NOVEMBER 2021 – Proof Creative, the globally acclaimed consultancy arm of Proof & Company, is launching its new brand and identity, and for the first time publicising its 20 Pillar Plan approach to launching world class bars. Developed over 10 years while creating some of Asia’s most famous drinking destinations, this creative framework has proven to be both useful and successful when developing and opening bar concepts. Now, in a spirit of collaboration, Proof Creative is sharing this with the global bar industry. This ongoing advocacy and knowledge-sharing represent what Proof & Company stands for: adding value to our partners, providing expertise to our bar communities, and building trust as Asia Pacific’s leading independent spirit’s company.
The seeds of Proof Creative were planted 10 years ago when co-founders Spencer Forhart and Paul Gabie created Singapore bar 28 HongKong Street. The bar’s success spurred the creation of independent spirits company Proof & Company, which quickly became renowned and respected for providing ad hoc, organic advice to bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels, and individual bartenders. Proof Creative was born in 2014. During the development of Manhattan at The Regent Hotel Singapore, a dedicated team of Spirits Evangelists was recruited as in-house spirits experts, bartenders and beverage creatives. In 2015, Jason Williams took the reins to lead the team through to its current configuration.
28 HongKong Street
Jason Williams, Creative Director at Proof & Company
During the development of Manhattan, a ‘Golden Thread’ mentality was adopted: a holistic approach to working on bar programs, it is an ethos and guiding principle that is still at the core of Proof Creative’s work today. Proof Creative recognised that the guest experience and a bar’s concept are not defined by the drink alone and purposeful, creative thought must be put into all elements of the bar experience to get the best outcome. This was the origin of the 20 Pillar Plan.
There is no scientific formula or algorithm to create a world class bar, but Proof Creative has found their 20 Pillar Plan approach to be the best way to develop venues and guide the allocation of time and resources. This framework has been applied to bars around the world, and encompasses concept, drinks, food, team, service, technology, brand, ecology, ambiance, collateral, layout, interior design and more. Proof Creative uses this framework to weave the ‘Golden Thread’ each aspect of the guest experience.
Union, The Opposite House, Beijing
Although Proof Creative is known for large-scale, luxury hotel openings, its team of consultants across Asia Pacific continue to work with small and medium-sized independent operators on a complimentary ad hoc basis. More than 100 projects of all shapes and sizes have been completed, and Proof Creative’s mission remains the same: to assist bar operators with their concept, their drinks, their team and anything in between.
Below is a small selection of some of the more high-profile projects opened by Proof Creative through the years, with the 20 Pillar Plan framework.
Manhattan, The Regent Singapore (2014)
A 1920s and 1930s-inspired grand New York hotel lobby bar. An immersive, albeit fantasised New York bar experience. The cocktails, food and menus are all themed around New York, situated in a glamorous interior design that evokes The Great Gatsby. With a world first in-venue barrel rickhouse holding the worlds largest cocktail ageing room, Manhattan is one of Proof Creative’s first substantial projects, and the start of a long collaboration between Proof and its owners.
The Pontiac, Hong Kong (2015)
One of the most fun, most inclusive and socially aware bars in Asia. A rock and roll party bar, with a neighbourhood vibe and well-crafted drinks, The Pontiac is a case study of curating an experience, not just a drink. Here, attention to detail was given to the music, the team and the brand. The Pontiac is one of the first projects to come from the Hong Kong-based Proof Creative team.
ATLAS, Singapore (2016)
Probably the most photographed bar in recent years, this is truly a one of a kind. ATLAS, with its dramatic interiors and vast selection of spirits is truly a grand European lobby bar. ATLAS is a celebration of the culinary, beverage and social arts of the art deco era. Proof Creative worked closely with the owners on bringing this family business and legacy to life.
Bar Trigona, Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur (2017)
A contemporary, luxury hotel bar with a golden thread of sustainability and hyper-locality throughout the food, beverage and entire program. Twice awarded Most Sustainable Bar in Asia, the team have a bee hive adoption program, and menus that can be planted to grow leaf vegetables. Proof Creative conceptualised the bar, named the venue and everything in between.
MO Bar, Mandarin Oriental Singapore (2018)
Overlooking Marina Bay, MO Bar has some of the best hospitality in the world — and they have the awards to prove it. The cocktail list is a whimsical yet sophisticated journey of collaboration around Asia, focused on using modern techniques to incorporate local ingredients. Proof Creative worked on this existing global brand but created something unique for South East Asia.
ARGO, Four Seasons Hong Kong (2021)
A luxurious, contemporary neo-classical hotel bar that explores and celebrates the ‘Future of Luxury Drinking’ and contains the ‘World’s Most Innovative Spirits List’. ARGO is a boundary-pushing yet glamorous bar experience that has opened to much acclaim. A long lead time project for Proof Creative, ARGO was an opportunity to create something special with long-term partners, Four Seasons.
A list of Proof Creative’s recent accolades
- World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 × 4
- Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2021 × 8
- World’s Best Cocktail List Winner 2020
- Sustainable Bar Award, Asia Winner, 2020
- Art of Hospitality Award, Asia Winner, 2020
- International Cocktail Bar of the Year Winner, 2014, 2019
- International Hotel Bar of the Year Winner, 2019
- Worlds Best Spirits Selection, 2019
- World’s Best Bar Finalist, 2019 x 2
- Best International Bar Team, 2015
Bobby Carey, Senior Bar Consultant, SEA
Charlie Ainsbury, Senior Bar Consultant, ANZ
Tom Egerton, Senior Creative Consultant, Greater China
Chris Lowder, Senior Bar Consultant
Ethan Liu, Senior Bar Consultant
Mimi Lorandova, Senior Bar Consultant
At the heart of our award-winning consultancy is the talented individuals that have done the work: the concept development, the cocktail lists, the training, putting together playlists, designing uniforms, and putting together P&Ls. We’ve been fortunate to have some amazing people work with us.
In the spirit of collaboration, you can now read and adopt the 20 Pillar Plan approach for yourself — click here to view it in full.
For further discussion, advice, or inquiries regarding what we do, send Proof Creative an email at proofcreative@proofandcompany.com
PROOF & COMPANY’S NEW LOOK LEADERSHIP TEAM ANNOUNCED, BUILDING FOR A POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY IN APAC
SINGAPORE, 18 October 2021 – Since commencing his new role as CEO of Proof & Company in April, Paul Broadbent has been focused on building the best team to guide the rapidly expanding drinks company in Asia into its next phase of growth. As part of this growth strategy, three key appointments have been made in the past month adding to two prior appointments in Trisha Chan (General Counsel) and Damian Kaehler (General Manager – Australasia), who joined Proof & Company earlier in the year.
In a commitment to strengthen the company’s brand building reputation, Proof & Company has appointed Vienna Thompson into the newly created role of Head of Marketing.
Vienna is a seasoned brand, communications and marketing professional with over 15 years’ experience in APAC. She prides herself on a non-traditional career trajectory that has spanned agencies, consultancies and in-house roles across multiple industries, thus bringing a different perspective to the drinks and consultancy business.
Based in the Singapore headquarters, Vienna will lead an expanding marketing team across APAC, building not only the Proof & Company brand but the 50+ extraordinary spirits brands within the portfolio with a focus on consumer and brand experience executions across the Proof & Company markets.
Vienna Thompson, Head of Marketing
“Proof is an intoxicating (shameless pun) business for a brand marketer; with an entrepreneurial and creative foundation, portfolio of exciting partner brands, passionate people, spirited community… and I’m thrilled to join the newly formed leadership team tasked to evolve an already cool, highly regarded brand. The opportunities, and fine drinking occasions, are endless.”
In Proof & Company China, Craig Aldous has been appointed as the General Manager, replacing Chris Lowder who exited the business in July after a month-long transition between the two. Craig brings a wealth of knowledge in doing business in China with 10 years with Elders China as CEO and more recently CEO of Woolworths China (including Summergate Wine and Spirits). One of the largest wine importers in China, Summergate employed 400 staff and represented over 80 brands of wines and spirits.
During his time with Woolworths China, Craig developed a customer-centric culture within the organisation, following the mantra, “If your job is not to serve the customer then it is to support those people who are serving the customer”.
Craig Aldous, General Manager, China
“China is a challenging market but presents opportunities for premium brands – which Proof & Company has in abundance! I’m excited about the portfolio and the calibre of partners we work with in the region, as well as the visionary initiatives the company is taking to promote environmental sustainability through its ecoSPIRITS program.”
The third and most recent appointment is that of Brandon Grusd as General Manager of the Southeast Asia region based in Singapore. Grusd’s history before Proof & Company includes three years with Maritime & Mercantile International with headquarters in Dubai, UAE and spanning 16 other geographies, through which he undertook a variety of roles in different sectors, including; Head of Spirit Education, Non Alcoholic Category Management for International Markets & FMCG, Head of New Product Innovation & Onboarding, Category and Brand Management for Speciality Products, Corporate Social Responsibility Leader and Advocate and most recently WSET L3 Educator.
Prior to his time with Maritime & Mercantile International, Brandon held a senior role in Dubai as Group Operations Manager, responsible for the management and growth of consultancy project teams throughout the region and abroad – experience which is crucial for the work that Proof Creative does in Singapore and globally. Brandon will now relocate to Singapore with his family to drive the market that started it all for Proof & Company 10 years ago.
Brandon Grusd, General Manager, South East Asia
“I have been impressed with the growth, innovation and urgency of Proof & Company from afar for some time now and I could not be more excited to be joining the team in Singapore. They have effectively expanded through this pandemic by cultivating strong partnerships while maintaining notoriety in the APAC region. I will look to further build team capabilities, driving forward our consumer and brand building focus areas and continue to deliver and grow award winning concepts and distribution through our network.“
Proof & Company continues their expansion in APAC under the leadership of Broadbent, with a simple strategy to reach more customers, more often. Taking premium craft spirits to more regions of Asia and more accounts, especially the retail channel in all markets, has driven the growth of the business, even during challenging trading periods in the region.
Paul Broadbent, CEO, Proof & Company
“Each of these appointments have a proven track record in strong leadership which resulted in improved financial performance, increased satisfaction from brand owners and stakeholders, and higher engagement scores from their people, which were all the qualities I was seeking while building out this new leadership group.”
PROOF & COMPANY’S JERRY JOINS ALLARA GLOBAL TO FORM PREMIUM HOSPITALITY RESOURCE
SYDNEY, 23 September 2021 – Proof & Company and Allara Global jointly announced today Allara’s acquisition of JERRY Global with a commitment to continue to develop & integrate the solution. As part of the acquisition, Nicole Smith – JERRY Chief Education Officer, will join Allara Global as Education Lead, JERRY working under Aaron Johnson – Allara Global General Manager.
Under the terms of the acquisition, the two parties will collaborate in other areas including content development and new customer acquisition. Proof & Company will have access to and continue to use JERRY in its work with hundreds of hospitality operators across Asia Pacific for at least two years.
JERRY beverage e-learning joins Allara Global stables, delivering a 400+ online course library to the hospitality industry
Paul Broadbent, CEO, Proof & Company
“The JERRY training program is one of the many layers to Proof & Company that has helped drive our vision to champion the second golden age of drinking in our markets and elevate beverage programs throughout the industry. Many talented people have contributed to the JERRY journey, starting with Nicole and including contributors from around the world.
From all of us at Proof & Company, thank you to everyone who has contributed to JERRY’s impact on hospitality professionals around the world. We look forward to partnering with Allara as they drive JERRY’s growth over the coming years.”
Andrew Lewis, CEO, Allara Learning & Allara Global
“Allara Learning started from a deep passion for hospitality and seeing a gap in the market for quality training that would meet the ever-changing landscape, one that demanded integrated bespoke training within the workplace. This blended learning approach – online, face-to-face and workplace – became the model of success for our clients. We launched Allara Global, our eLearning platform, to provide dedicated support for the fast-growing online arm of the business.
Our trainers and mixologists all know and love the JERRY product and thus we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Proof & Co. We warmly welcome Nicole Smith into the extended Allara family and look forward to working together.”
Aaron Johnson, General Manager, Allara Global
“This strategic acquisition is part of our ongoing commitment to add depth to our rapidly expanding content library and provide additional value to our hospitality clients throughout Australasia and beyond.
This is another fantastic step forward in the continued evolution of Allara Global and we are incredibly excited at having JERRY join us for this journey.”
Nicole Smith, Education Lead – JERRY, Allara Global
“Never before has the need for holistic online education been so great. The industry-leading beverage and hospitality learning platform, JERRY, has joined forces with Allara Global to meet this challenge. Allara Global, brings over 10 years of experience delivering hospitality, leadership and retail management. Together, they will provide the most comprehensive training program in the hospitality space.”
Allara plans to migrate JERRY content and learner base into their learning management system in due course, but for now the focus is on getting JERRY into the hands of the hospitality industry in a post-covid environment. Tangibly, this means providing free access to existing JERRY clients until January 2022. For more information or to sign up, please contact info@jerry.global
About Allara Global
Allara Global provides end-to-end eLearning solutions to empower businesses with a set of tools to meet their staff training needs. From induction, onboarding and upskilling to workplace safety and compliance; they provide scalable expert training with the aim to help businesses build better teams, an engaged workforce, and profitable operations. Allara Global’s eLearning complements the industry expertise of their sister company, Allara Learning, to create engaging world-class content.
About Allara Learning
Founded in 2009, Allara Learning is a leading Australian national vocational education and training provider offering training solutions to the industry including Nationally Recognised Qualifications, short courses and JobReady employment programs. With a focus on hospitality, leadership and retail management training; Allara’s mission is to make a real difference to businesses whilst providing the learner with education and training to enable career growth. Clients include Accor, Merivale, Solotel, Howard Smith Wharves and Compass Group. In March 2021 Allara Learning launched two live training venues in Brisbane, Australia – Leonards Bar & Bistro and Dawn.
About JERRY
Established by Proof & Company in 2018 and based in Singapore, JERRY is one of the industry’s leading modern beverage learning resources, with over 8,000 learners in 44 countries who have earned JERRY Certificates. Backed by a library of more than 200 online courses across a range of beverage subjects, JERRY offers five levels of certification programs to beverage and hospitality professionals. JERRY also offers bespoke learning environments to large hospitality operators, including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Starbucks and Accor Hospitality Group.