Two Palestinian brothers within the Swedish metropolis of Malmo have begun producing a gentle drink named Palestine Cola, with an intention to donate any income to Palestinians.
Israel’s brutal conflict on Gaza, the place it has to this point killed greater than 32,200 Palestinians, prompted mass protests all over the world and boycotts of many worldwide manufacturers, together with high beverage and low firms and fast-food chains.
Amid the worldwide marketing campaign to boycott Western producers that revenue from Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank or assist Israel in any means, Mohamed and Ahmad Hassoun noticed a market hole on account of excessive demand for substitutes for bigger manufacturers.
Their firm, Palestine Drinks, was launched in February, Mohamed Kiswani, the press officer for Safad Food AB, the Swedish agency behind it, advised Anadolu.
Palestine Cola represents “a symbol of unity and purpose,” in keeping with the corporate.
The Hassoun household comes from the big Palestinian city of Safad, from the place they have been pushed out through the British mandate in 1948.
They have been compelled to dwell in refugee camps within the south of Lebanon, earlier than ultimately relocating to Sweden.
On a chilly November day in Malmo, the 2 brothers sat right down to attempt to give you a challenge to assist Palestinians, who’re dealing with what many all over the world say is a genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.
This is when Palestine Drinks started to take form, with consultants and consultants serving to the household, which owns a profitable automobile and property firm in Sweden however had no earlier expertise within the meals and beverage business.
“The market, restaurants, stores and people wanted alternatives to the larger brands, so we thought why not make it a charity project and call it Palestine Drinks, for people to remember the name and to be proud of the brand. So that’s the main reason why this idea came to life,” Kiswani mentioned between back-to-back conferences.
“We have launched an alternative brand for everyone who wants … a company that supports Palestinians.”
Proud of its function as a challenge to assist fellow Palestinians, the brothers initially noticed it as a small initiative focusing on solely the Swedish market.
When the drinks hit the cabinets, nevertheless, the general public response was overwhelming and completely sudden.
“As soon as we pushed out a million cans, they just immediately sold out, as this brand markets itself,” mentioned Kiswani, including {that a} key issue is that individuals are assured that it’s for trigger.
The drinks are at present offered in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, however orders maintain coming in from different components of Europe, the US, Australia, Japan, Arab international locations, components of Asia and even Latin America.
The firm feels the sky is the restrict for this model and is at present within the technique of increasing past Scandinavia, with plans to have it obtainable in different international locations throughout the subsequent two or three months.
“So, we have about 900 orders from companies all over the world wanting to be our distributor. We have not had time to answer all the emails yet,” Kiswani mentioned.
The firm’s drinks are designed to attraction to all style buds “regardless of preference,” obtainable in authentic, sugar-free, orange and lemonade flavors, in addition to an power drink variant.
“We decided to go with the cola flavor, which we thought tasted better than other alternatives on the market today,” he mentioned.
The can’s brand options an olive tree, a Palestinian image since historical occasions, and a backside sample that represents the Palestinian keffiyeh, a historic emblem of Palestinian nationalism.
“So, the main idea here is to reach all of the world, to keep everyone remembering that Palestine exists in the memory of this family and in the memory of every Palestinian family,” mentioned Kiswani.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
