-CB News Desk (publisherchefbharath@gmail.com)
Delhi: With the lockdown of restaurants and bars across India to maintain social distancing, several thousand members of the hospitality community have been severely affected financially. Beam Suntory India is partnering with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the largest restaurant body in the country, to pledge support of INR 1 Crore which will be used to provide relief to its member restaurants and their employees affected due to this lockdown. NRAI has wholeheartedly welcomed the move and expressed gratitude towards the leadership team of Beam Suntory.
Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, has voluntarily come forward to support the food and beverage community in India, which is currently experiencing a total shutdown of business due to lockdown imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. This initiative represents the spirit of Beam Suntory’s corporate social responsibility efforts, whose mission of ‘Growing for Good’ includes sustainability and supporting local communities.
Beam Suntory is also utilizing ‘The Blend’, it’s global bartender engagement program, to directly reach out and support the bartender community in India. The company has launched a ‘learn and earn’ program to encourage bartenders to utilize their time at home effectively by taking up online training modules. Reading material and virtual engagement modules have been made available online, where bartenders can continue to be safe at home and enhance their knowledge and skills. To make the learning experience rewarding, The Blend will host online programs every day, spread across 50 sessions, with prizes for the participants.
Talking about the initiative, Neeraj Kumar, Managing Director, Beam Suntory India, said, “The global pandemic has threatened the survival of many businesses, especially the F&B industry, at a time when it was emerging strongly in India. Although we are confident that the industry will rebuild and continue to thrive after this crisis, the current economic anxiety is spilling over to thousands of dedicated professionals who have passionately supported the industry with their talent. Through these initiatives, we want to give back to our partners in the F&B community. They are our greatest champions and we want to support them in these difficult times. These initiatives are central to our business and fundamental to our ‘Growing for Good’ values.”
Speaking about this, Anurag Katriar, President – NRAI said, “I sincerely thank Beam Suntory India for their thoughtful gesture towards our Industry during these difficult times. It is extremely reassuring and encouraging to receive support from your business partners in these difficult times. This gesture will further cement the relationship between the F&B Fraternity and Beam Suntory India. This corpus will enable NRAI to extend helping hand to its members and their employees in times of such an unprecedented crisis. I truly appreciate this kind gesture by Beam Suntory India and sincerely hope that other major stakeholders in the F&B ecosystem will follow this graceful example set by Beam Suntory.”
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