Karma Cola Makes A Stand For Africa At Laneways
All Good will be sharing the good Karma at this year’s Laneways festival selling their Fairtrade organic soft drinks for the first time to revelers at Auckland’s Silo Park. They’ll be refreshed with ice cold Karma Cola, Gingerella and Lemmy Lemonade all day long.
And they’re hoping to make as much money as possible.
Because all of the profits they make on the day will be going straight back to the village in Sierra Leone that grows the cola they use to make Karma Cola.
“Profits from our Laneways stand will go towards initiatives supporting the village including solar-powered radios,”says Simon Coley, Karma Cola’s Co-Founder. “As Fela Kuti said, ‘Music is the weapon of the future’ – it transcends language, brings hope and helps people tune into a world they’ve become isolated from.”
“As the rest of the world withdraws from Sierra Leone it’s even more important to keep trading and communicating in the aftermath of Ebola,” says Coley.
From day one, proceeds from every bottle of Karma Cola sold have gone back to Boma village in West Africa, where the cola nut grows. Proceeds so far have built a bridge, sent 45 children to school, rehabilitated cola plantations and built an essential rice-processing center. But now Sierra Leone needs more support than ever before.
“Laneways is our favourite music festival: they book the best bands and they know how to make you feel special, like it’s all been done for you. Keeping cool with a fizzy drink on a sunny day, listening to inspiring music, and doing good things for people who need help – that’s a good time for everyone,” says Coley.