Karma Cola

More than two billion colas are consumed every day. But the West African people who discovered the magical properties of the cola nut don’t make a penny from the world’s most popular soda drink.

Back in 2010, New Zealanders Matt, Simon and Chris decided to create a flagship product, Karma Cola, from cola nuts sourced directly from farmers in Boma, a small village in Sierra Leone. Their belief was that something as “bad for you” as a fizzy drink could also be a force for good, returning profits to local communities.

Simply telling the story of this purpose-meets-profit venture, however, was not enough; the market is filled with well intentioned yet boring products. My instinct was to flip the category on its head and lead with emotive characters.

Developed in collaboration with Boma village leaders and artist Beck Wheeler, the identity combines folklore characters representing good and evil, and a wordmark that loops back on itself in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the undeniable truth of “what comes around goes around”.

The detailing and insight enshrined in Karma Cola’s packaging design is deliberately at odds with most staple, premium or organic drinks—standing out on the shelf and in people’s minds.