Kiwi social enterprise drops a cherry bomb with new cola flavour

Wellington's Roxy Cinema and fair trade drinks company Karma Cola have mixed pop and pop culture to drop a cherry bomb.

Inspired by Hollywood romance and Americana, Roxy Cherry Cola is bringing sexy back to moviegoers' taste buds this August.

Like all Karma Cola products, the ingredients are organic, using a cherry concentrate from Turkey.

In a karmic virtuous circle, Roxy Cherry Cola not only tastes good, it does good.

Every bottle makes money for the Karma Cola Foundation, supporting cola farmers in Sierra Leone.

The Karma Cola Foundation gets cola farmers and their families back on their feet after a ten-year civil war, fostering independence, not dependence.

Cosmo Hawke from Karma Cola, and Ray Letoa, mixologist and co-owner of the Roxy Cinema brought their creative energies together.

"We've worked with Ray in the past, messing around with cocktails. We're always looking for new flavours and there's something about the Roxy's Hollywood glamour that made us think of cherries. Those cherries, Ray's talent and our cola is the bomb," says Hawke.

Ray Letoa describes the nose on the cherry cola fizzy as a "nostalgic scent with an olden day citrus backbone.

"It's vibrant with a cherry-ness that brings an undertone of tang complemented with sweet vanilla and rounded out with African cola nut. Definitely not sweet but definitely addictive.

The Karma Cola Foundation supports a lot of initiatives like educating children, building infrastructure, future proofing food supplies and helping people set up their own businesses - ideas that help eight villages become independent through trade rather than dependent on charity.

It has given over $150,000 to the people of Boma and Tiwai communities in Sierra Leone since it began in 2012.

"We're into things that taste good, look good and do good and when we get to play with other companies who are just as excited about these things, like The Roxy Cinema, it makes work a whole lot more rewarding," says Hawke.

The Roxy Cherry Karma Cola is available throughout August from The Roxy Cinema and selected outlets.