On hot, summer days, a decent quality soft drink is always welcomed. And when that soft drink not only ensures that you’re drinking more healthy drinks but also that you’re drinking with a healthy conscience, it just gets even better.
Recently, I was sent a bottle of each of All Good‘s soft drink range to try: their Karma Cola, Gingerella Ginger Ale and Lemmy Lemonade. The New Zealand-based business is, as their website says, “a small business trying to make a big difference” – and their 100% natural, Fairtrade soft drinks are all working towards a good cause.
The good cause in question is the rebuilding of villages in Sierra Leone in the aftermath of war, with part of the proceeds of every bottle of Karma Cola going to the villages of Boma and Naiahun to invest in community projects. Already, funds from the sales of Karma Cola have been used to build a bridge connecting two villages, and to send 15 young girls to school. The ginger ale and lemonade are also playing their part in helping others around the world: the Gingerella Ginger Ale supports ginger growers in the Lunuwila Small Holder Society in Sri Lanka, while both the Gingerella and the Lemmy Lemonade are made with top quality organic Fairtrade sugar, helping sugar farmers in Paraguay to improve their lives and livelihoods.
The good work of All Good was rewarded in June 2014 with the world’s “Fairest Trader” award from Fairtrade International.
My first thought was that the packaging was absolutely beautiful: each bottle distinctively different and yet with common design themes, making them stand out from the mass market drinks commonly found on the shelves.
As you can see from the back of each of the three bottles, they all contain completely natural ingredients too.
We began with the Karma Cola: a blend of cola nuts from the Boma village and vanilla bean from the from the Lunuwila Small Holder Society, along with Fairtrade organic cane sugar from the Suminter Organic Farmers Cooperative in Bhimanagar, India. All Good are actually the first company to have a direct and transparent relationship with cola farmers in villages in Sierra Leone – and the difference from mainstream brands is clear. Flavour-wise, it’s incredibly different from the mass market brands available on every supermarket shelf: it’s an authentic cola nut flavour that reminds me more of the cola bottle sweets rather than the artificial flavour of the big cola brands. The vanilla comes through strongly too – and with the use of real cola nuts, there’s no need for any artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.
We loved the Lemmy Lemonade too – again, made with 100% natural ingredients including real Sicilian lemons for a great flavour. A splash of grapefruit enhances that zing even more, and it’s not overly sweet, as many lemonades tend to be.
Finally, the Gingerella Ginger Ale delivered on its promised fieriness, but was also an incredibly refreshing drink – perfect for a warm summer.
The All Good range of drinks was only launched in April 2014, with the number of stockists nationwide growing at a rapid rate. In Bristol, you can find them at the Workhouse Cafe on Perry Road – with more venues in the pipeline…
To find out more about these drinks, visit the website – or if you’re a business looking to stock the range, find out more here.
Please note: these products were received free of charge, but in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the company did not see this review before it was put up on the site.