Nicolas Oltean

The Mafate Project was born of an alarming observation: 90% of our consumption is imported, to the detriment of local production. My mission is to promote the use of local ingredients and reduce waste in partnership with ecological initiatives. I want to raise community awareness of responsible consumption and organize events with bartenders and hoteliers.

I chose to collaborate with Miellerie de Marla, located in Mafate, a volcanic cirque in the heart of Reunion Island and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Accessible only by foot, this honey factory offers a unique insight into traditional Réunionese life. It works with forest bees according to biodynamic principles, producing exceptional honey. In addition, an aquaponic greenhouse enables the symbiotic production of tilapia, vegetables, fruit and herbs.

The aim is to use the honey, fruit and herbs from this farm to create unique cocktails offered by "pilot site" hotels that have signed up for the Eco-responsible Charter. Each site will be asked to create and promote a "cocktail of the month" using Ketel One and Miellerie de Marla products. For each glass sold, one Euro will be donated to the honey house.

Thanks to Ketel One's Community Heroes challenge, the "Mafate Project" is a strategic initiative aimed at transforming mixology into a lever for economic development and cultural promotion. By strengthening skills, promoting local products, and creating unforgettable experiences, this initiative will propel La Réuniononto the global gastronomic stage while offering tangible support to the hotel industry.

To give my local community Heroes "Mafate Project" more scope, I've created a small website, https://mafateproject.my.canva.site/
where information about my project is posted online, as well as the project's partners with their respective logos and hyperlinks to their social networks so that customers can follow the various Ketel One-based ephemeral cocktails over the months in each establishment.

Mafate Bee's

Au Shaker, Mule Ketel One
Ingredients:
50 ml Ketel One Vodka
40 ml Mafate Sherbet
1 dash Vegan Foamer
60 ml Topping tonic

Preparation:
1. Prepare the sherbet, following the recipe below for mafate sherbet
2. Assembly : Pour the Ketel One vodka, sherbet and vegan foamer into a shaker.
Shake the shaker vigorously with ice cubes for 15 seconds to mix well and chill the cocktail.
3. Dressing: Strain the cocktail into a chilled ketel one mule.
Pour in the tonic topping and mix gently.
4. Decorate with a honeycomb made from the remaining sherbet pulp, spread on a honeycomb-shaped silicone mould and bake at 100° for 20 minutes.

Mafate Sherbet (approximate alcohol content 13.16%, sugar content 59.5 g or 17%)
Ingredients:
* 130 ml Ketel One vodka
* 260 g fresh Victoria pineapple, diced
* 52 g Marla honey
* 15 g fresh lemongrass, chopped
* 6 g fresh basil leaves
* 1/2 green bird's eye chilli
* 30 ml homemade passion fruit vinegar

Preparation:
1. Pineapple purée: In a blender, blend the fresh pineapple, lemongrass, basil leaves, green bird pepper, passion fruit vinegar and vodka until smooth (+/- 1m30sec).
2. Pour the mixture into a clean container. Place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
4. Sherbet: Remove the mixture from the fridge and blend again in a blender until light and creamy, then strain through a superbag.