Each Sunday and Wednesday Foodie is honoured to explore the stories behind some of the better and lesser known brands and people who will feature in the Foodie Start Up Boxes. Today, we’re heading down to the Southern Hemisphere for our third entry in the Foodie Start Up Diaries: Bom Carma! “Distributor of organic soft drinks from New Zealand”
Bom Carma, the Portuguese translation of “Good Karma”, import and distribute eight non-alcoholic carbonated organic drinks to the thirsty peoples of Hong Kong. It all came about during the summer of 2012, when owner Campbell, “drank one too many Karma Colas with the co-founder of All Good (the company in New Zealand that supply the certified organic fairtrade soft drinks), Chris Morrison. The good fizz got to me as I was standing on his balcony overlooking the wind-swept headland at Piha on Auckland’s West Coast. Chris is so down to earth and sincere – he epitomizes everything good about New Zealand. He succeeded with his first drinks business (Phoenix Organics) and he is still very passionate about what he believes in.” Before he knew a pallet of the soda had arrived in Macau, and so now the story unravels…
Why do you do what you do?
First and foremost – I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe in the product or the team behind it. All Good are the first and only company in New Zealand to have been honored by Ethisphere in New York as being One of The World’s Most Ethical Companies: not once, but twice – in 2013 and 2014. This year they were also awarded The World’s Fairest Fair Trader by Fairtrade International. They’ve also picked up awards and accolades for their super cool brand designs. I have no trouble flying the New Zealand flag for this brand –because I like it so much. I believe in it – I literally wear the brand on my chest. Nothing else warrants my attention, except my other job that is.
So zealous for the cause; it’s great! In the future what’s the plan?
For me, All Good Organics is a David & Goliath story. It has the hallmarks of great success story about a small kid on the block who believes what he is doing is right and in the process takes up the fight against the big guy who has had it his way for too long.
My vision for the drinks distribution business is to take up that challenge here in Hong Kong, Macau and China, as a small Kiwi player aiming for change. We need to change the mindset of restaurateurs and bar owners to offer more premium quality soft drinks on the menu, rather than a handful of the usual suspects that bore the palette and dull the mind.
We need to encourage consumers to pay something more for a good drink that’s made using real ingredients, with no preservatives, no synthetic flavours, no artificial colours and no bleached sugars. I want the business to promote an understanding that if you offer something good, you’ll get something good in return. Consumers pay more for craft beer and beefier burgers; then why not pay more for premium soft drinks, and provide consumers more quality choice.
My ultimate vision is to have a fleet of cool uber-friendly delivery vans servicing the Hong Kong and China market – as the name behind the All Good brand, bypassing the competition. To be honest, I can’t do that on my own.
If not on your own, then how?
That voice in my head that says “stay calm, don’t let it get you down.” I’m not a deeply religious man but I do appreciate and value the power of prayer. No matter what your faith, prayer and faith itself gives hope and provides answers.
That is really encouraging. Thanks for sharing! As such a righteous man then, you don’t allow any guilty foodie pleasures do you..?
Creamy New Zealand yoghurt, cheese on toast, a bottle of wine, Dreyer’s vanilla ice-cream mixed with nuts, caramel, diced prunes and a sprinkling of raisins. Can I go on?
Please do! A final word on why your beverages are so darn splendid?
It’s all made of real ingredients, ethical and tastes like heaven.
