All Good Organics Named the World's 'Fairest Trader'

A small Australasian drinks company, whose mission is to give cola farmers’ the credit they deserve for their contribution to creating the most consumed soft drink in the world, has been recognised by an international NGO as the world’s ‘fairest trader’.

Fairtrade International, a global not-for-profit organisation that oversees 27,000 products that carry the Fairtrade mark in 120 countries, has awarded All Good Organics, producers of ethical soft drink Karma Cola, the international Fairtrade Trader award.

The award was announced at the International Fairtrade Awards, which took place as part of Fairtrade International General Assembly in Bonn, Germany on Thursday June 12 at 6.30pm (Friday June 13, at 2.30am AEST).

The Fairtrade Trader award recognises outstanding and special efforts from traders worldwide, especially those involved in innovative projects and programmes. In the case of All Good, the project innovation is Karma Cola a drink that is helping people in Sierra Leone rebuild their lives in the aftermath of war, every time someone buys a bottle.

According to International Fairtrade Awards judges, All Good ‘demonstrated a strong commitment to Fairtrade and engagement with Fairtrade producers; for having created an innovative Fairtrade product and for their significant contributions to the growth of Fairtrade sales and awareness.

‘Karma Cola is an incredibly creative and innovative product that is giving cola nut farmers in Sierra Leone an international profile and market for a crop that traditionally has only been locally traded. Karma Cola is not just about cola. It’s a collaborative Fairtrade product that incorporates ingredients from a number of Fairtrade producers.’

All Good’s Karma Cola soft drink is on sale in cafes, bars and restaurants throughout Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne and Western Australia.

The drink was created to address the injustice in the fact that every day the world consumes more than 1.7 billion cola drinks, yet very few contain real cola and the people who grow the name ingredient don’t get a cent. Proceeds from the sale of every bottle are going back to the Boma village in Sierra Leone to help the people who grow the cola rebuild their lives in the aftermath of war.

“Karma Cola’s aim is to give a face and a voice, for the first time in the history of cola, to the people who grow its name ingredient in Sierra Leone,” says All Good founder and director Simon Coley. “There is little demand internationally for cola nut as the big corporate soft drink companies have long since substituted it with an artificial alternative and countries such as Sierra Leone, where it grows, have faced significant political turmoil and a 10-year civil war.

“It took us about two years to connect with producers, perfect the Karma Cola recipe and get the project off the ground. It has been on sale in Australia for the part 18 months and has struck a cord with consumers. The design, taste and story of Karma Cola appears to be capturing peoples imaginations and sense of justice.

“We believe Karma Cola really raises the bar for Fairtrade traders in both the creative brand development and the absolute integrity of our connection with producers, across a range of ingredients. Once we have their attention, we have the opportunity to tell the story of real cola, its provenance and how a humble soft drink is helping to empower producers in the developing world through fairer trade,” he says.

Karma Cola and its brother and sister drinks Lemmy and Gingerella, are now on sale in cafes, restaurants and bars throughout New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, and as of last month London. The drinks are now benefitting people in West Africa, Sri Lanka and India.