What Karma Cola does

Karma Drinks is a UK-based private beverage company founded in 2012 that produces and sells a portfolio of organic, Fairtrade-certified sodas under brands including Karma Cola, Lemony Lemonade, Gingerella Ginger Beer, Razza Raspberry Lemonade, Cherry Lee, and Tropikool. Products are manufactured in 300ml bottles and 250ml cans, priced at £34.99 and £26.99 respectively per 24-pack case, and sold through a direct-to-consumer Shopify e-commerce storefront and retail partnerships — most notably a 2024 launch in 125 Waitrose stores. The company's operational model is built on a vertically traceable Fairtrade kola nut supply chain from Sierra Leone, no-plastic-bottle packaging, and the Karma Foundation, which receives 1% of revenue to fund community and rainforest-protection initiatives (over 1,200 hectares of Gola rainforest protected). The company holds B Corp certification (top 5% of B Corp businesses globally), Soil Association organic certification, and Fairtrade certification, which collectively anchor a premium ethical-positioning brand. Karma Drinks is founder-led, privately financed (no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors), UK-domestic in geography, and appears to be operating at small scale with a narrow SKU portfolio of approximately six flavors.

Name

Karma Cola

Legal name

Karma Drinks

Website

https://karmacola.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karma Drinks is a UK-based, founder-led beverage company producing organic, Fairtrade-certified sodas (flagship Karma Cola plus five other flavors) sold via D2C e-commerce and Waitrose retail, with 1% of revenue committed to a Sierra Leone community foundation via the Karma Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Soft Drinks

NAICS

Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB)

Keywords

• Organic soft drinks
• Fairtrade sodas
• Plastic-free beverages
• Natural ingredient sodas
• B Corp beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Beverage Product Sales: Karma Drinks generates revenue through the sale of organic, Fairtrade sodas and beverages. Products are sold in both bottles (24-pack at £34.99) and cans (24-pack at £26.99) through e-commerce and retail channels. 1% of all revenue is committed to the Karma Foundation supporting Sierra Leone communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Karma Cola (Karma Drinks) sells a range of organic, Fairtrade-certified carbonated soft drinks made with 100% natural ingredients and no artificial additives. Its product portfolio includes Karma Cola (made with real Fairtrade kola nuts from Sierra Leone), Lemony Lemonade, Gingerella Ginger Beer, Razza Raspberry Lemonade, Cherry Lee, and Tropikool, sold in 300ml glass bottles (24-pack cases at £34.99) and 250ml cans (24-pack cases at £26.99) with no plastic packaging. The company generates revenue through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on its UK Shopify storefront and selective retail distribution including Waitrose, with 1% of revenue committed to the Karma Foundation supporting Sierra Leonean kola nut growing communities.

Product overview

Karma Drinks is a beverage company offering a portfolio of organic, Fairtrade-certified sodas. The core product line includes Karma Cola (award-winning cola with real kola nuts), Lemony Lemonade, Gingerella Ginger Beer, Razza Raspberry Lemonade, and newer flavors Cherry Lee and Tropikool. Products are available in both bottle (300ml) and can (250ml x 24) formats. The company differentiates through its commitment to real natural ingredients, no plastic bottles, and social impact via the Karma Foundation, which channels 1% of revenue to Sierra Leonean farming communities. B Corp certified, placing the company in the top 5% of B Corp businesses globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Karma Foundation: Charitable initiative that receives 1% of revenue from every Karma Drink sold, funding life-changing initiatives for kola nut growing communities in Sierra Leone including schools, girls' education, and healthcare.
• Karma Cola
• Lemony Lemonade
• Gingerella
• Razza
• Cherry Lee
• Tropikool

Products and services

• Karma Cola (24 Bottles) Award-winning organic cola made with real Fairtrade kola nuts from Sierra Leone, sold in 24 x 300ml glass bottle cases. Targeted at environmentally and socially conscious consumers seeking ethical, natural-ingredient sodas.
• Karma Cola (24 Cans) Organic cola in slim 250ml cans, made with real Fairtrade kola nuts from Sierra Leone, sold in 24-can cases. Targeted at convenience-seeking consumers who prefer canned format.
• Lemy Lemonade (24 Bottles) Organic lemonade with natural ingredients, sold in 24 x 300ml glass bottle cases. Targeted at consumers seeking natural-ingredient lemonade alternatives.
• Lemy Lemonade (24 Cans) Organic lemonade in slim 250ml cans, sold in 24-can cases. Targeted at consumers preferring canned format.
• Gingerella Ginger Beer (24 Bottles) Organic ginger beer with natural ginger flavor, Soil Association certified, sold in 24 x 300ml glass bottle cases. Targeted at consumers seeking natural-ingredient ginger beer.
• Razza Raspberry Lemonade (24 Bottles) Organic raspberry lemonade with natural fruit flavors, sold in 24 x 300ml glass bottle cases. Targeted at consumers seeking natural-ingredient fruit sodas.
• Cherry Lee (24 Cans) Organic cherry soda made with natural ingredients, sold in 24 x 250ml cans. New flavor addition to the Karma range in 2024.
• Tropikool (24 Cans) Organic tropical fruit soda, sold in 24 x 250ml cans. New flavor addition to the Karma range in 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1% of all revenue goes to Karma Foundation supporting Sierra Leone communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WaitrosecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2024Waitrose, a major UK supermarket chain, partnered with Karma Drinks to stock Karma 4-packs in 125 stores across the UK. The partnership launched with three flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Cherry soda, and Lemony Lemonade. This represents a significant retail expansion for the brand.
• Spiegel Gardens BrightonminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2024Spiegel Gardens Brighton, a comedy venue, hosted a Karma Drinks promotional event featuring Karma cocktails and free Karma Cola samples via the Pubbl app. Part of their May comedy programming.
• London Coffee FestivalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2024Karma Drinks participated in the London Coffee Festival, engaging with coffee industry professionals and consumers. Used as brand awareness and sampling opportunity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Virgil's: US craft soda brand producing premium natural sodas with a comparable natural-ingredient and limited-edition flavor innovation approach.
• Reed's Inc. US-based craft ginger beer and premium soft drink maker with similar natural-ingredient, premium positioning and direct-to-consumer plus retail distribution.
• Luscombe Drinks: Devon-based organic soft drinks producer offering a directly comparable organic, ethically-sourced range of juices and sodas to UK consumers.
• Old Jamaica Ginger Beer: Established UK ginger beer brand with comparable category overlap with Karma's Gingerella SKU and similar supermarket distribution model.
• Fentimans: UK-based premium botanical and craft soft drink brand with overlapping premium positioning and similar mainstream grocery and HoReCa distribution in the UK.
• Belvoir Fruit Farms: UK cordial and pressé brand focused on natural, premium fruit drinks, sharing Karma's natural-ingredient and gift-channel positioning.

Emerging players

• Poppi: US prebiotic soda brand with a similar modern, values-led, DTC-led premium soda positioning and rapidly scaling retail presence.
• Olipop: US functional soda brand combining natural ingredients with health positioning; an emerging competitor targeting the same health-and-values-driven soda consumer.

Broad incumbents

• Q Mixers: Premium mixer brand built on real, less-sweet ingredients, sharing Karma's premium, no-artificial-additives positioning and supermarket premium-shelf placement.
• Fever-Tree: UK premium mixer brand that scaled from a niche craft positioning to global leadership, illustrating the upside trajectory available to premium UK beverage brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/karmadrinks
• Xx.com/karmacolauk
• Facebookfacebook.com/KarmaColaUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karma-cola-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Karma Cola