‘Genocide-free’ cola makes a splash in the United Kingdom

London, UK – On a sunny autumn day, nan Hiba Express – a accelerated nutrient concatenation successful Holborn, a bustling cardinal London neighbourhood packed pinch restaurants, bookstores and shops – is afloat of diners. Above Hiba is Palestine House, a multistorey gathering spot for Palestinians and their supporters, built successful nan style of a accepted Arabic location pinch chromatic walls and a cardinal courtyard pinch a fountain.

Osama Qashoo, a charismatic man who wears his hairsbreadth pulled backmost successful a bun and a heavy beard and moustache ending successful awesome curls, runs some establishments successful nan six-storey building.

At nan Hiba Express, his squad serves up Palestinian and Lebanese dishes made from his family recipes. Inside nan space, which is dressed up successful lukewarm colours and pinch character branches and placards pinch slogans specified arsenic “From nan stream to nan sea”, patrons move halloumi cheese, chickpeas and falafel astir their plates. At nan eatery’s entrance, a doll dressed successful a black-and-white keffiyeh scarf sits connected a array pinch a motion supra written successful blood-coloured ink: “Save nan children,” referring to nan thousands of Palestinian children killed successful Israeli attacks connected Gaza complete nan past year.

On respective tables beryllium cherry-red soda cans dressed up pinch nan black, achromatic and greenish stripes of nan Palestinian emblem and Arabic artwork, and bordered by a shape from nan keffiyeh. “Cola Gaza” is written successful Arabic calligraphy – successful a book akin to that of a celebrated marque of cola.

It’s a beverage pinch a connection and a mission.

Qashoo, 43, is speedy to constituent retired that nan drink, which is made from emblematic cola ingredients and has a saccharine and acidic sensation akin to Coca-Cola, “is wholly different from nan look that Coke uses”. He will not opportunity really aliases wherever nan look originated, but he will affirm that he created Cola Gaza successful November 2023.

Osama Qashoo, creator of Cola Gaza, hands retired cans and leaflets successful nan Holborn area of London, nan United Kingdom, arsenic portion of nan beverage’s soft motorboat successful September [Courtesy of Cola Gaza]

‘The existent sensation of freedom’

Nynke Brett, 53, who lives successful Hackney, eastbound London, discovered Cola Gaza while attending a taste arena astatine Palestine House. “It’s not arsenic fizzy arsenic Coke. It’s smoother, easier connected nan palate,” she says. “And it tastes moreover amended because you’re supporting Palestine.”

Qashoo created Cola Gaza for respective reasons, he says, but “number 1 was to boycott companies that support and substance nan Israeli service and support nan genocide” successful Gaza. Another reason: “To find a guilt-free, genocide-free benignant of taste. The existent sensation of freedom.”

That whitethorn sound for illustration a trading tagline, but Palestinian state is adjacent to Qashoo’s heart. In 2001, he co-founded nan International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group that uses nonviolent nonstop action to situation and defy nan Israeli business of Palestinian land. This organisation paved nan measurement for nan Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) activity 4 years later, explains Qashoo. BDS boycotts companies and products that they opportunity play a nonstop portion successful Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.

Qashoo was forced to fly Palestine successful 2003 aft organising serene demonstrations against what he calls nan “apartheid wall” successful nan West Bank. He arrived successful nan UK arsenic a exile and became a movie student, wished to pass Palestinian stories done filmmaking. His trilogy, A Palestinian Journey, won nan 2006 Al Jazeera New Horizon Award.

In 2007, Qashoo co-founded nan Free Gaza Movement, which aimed to break nan forbidden siege connected Gaza. Three years later, successful 2010, he helped organise nan Gaza Freedom Flotilla ngo to bring humanitarian assistance from Turkey to Gaza by sea. In May 2010, 1 of nan flotilla’s ships, nan Mavi Marmara, was attacked, and Qashoo mislaid his cameraman and filming equipment. He was later arrested and past tortured while detained pinch astir 700 others. His family went connected a hunger onslaught until he was safe.

After resettling successful nan UK, Qashoo continued his activism but recovered it challenging to effort to gain a surviving from films. He past became a restaurateur. But he ne'er expected to go a carbonated beverages purveyor. “I wasn’t moreover reasoning astir this” until precocious past year, Qashoo explains. He adds that he besides wanted to create a merchandise that was “an illustration of waste and acquisition not aid”.

Fifty-three percent of consumers successful nan Middle East and North Africa are boycotting products from definite brands complete caller wars and conflicts, George Shaw, an expert astatine GlobalData, tells Al Jazeera.

“These companies that substance this genocide, erstwhile you deed them successful nan astir important place, which is nan gross stream, it decidedly makes a batch of quality and makes them think,” Qashoo says. Cola Gaza, he adds, is “going to build a boycott movement” that will deed Coke financially.

Coca-Cola, which operates accommodation successful nan Israeli Atarot business colony successful occupied East Jerusalem, faced a caller boycott starting connected October 7 past year.

Family has besides been a facet successful Qashoo’s thrust to motorboat Cola Gaza. Today he doesn’t cognize nan whereabouts of his adopted 17-year-old boy successful nan West Bank, who was changeable successful nan caput successful June. “I person family successful Gaza who person been decimated,” says Qashoo. “I’ve sewage friends, I don’t cognize wherever they are.”

A banner advertizing Cola Gaza hangs connected nan scaffolding connected nan beforehand of Palestine House successful Holborn, London, UK [Courtesy of Cola Gaza]

Not consenting to compromise

Although it was only a twelvemonth successful nan making, Qashoo says that creating Cola Gaza has been a challenge. “Cola Gaza was a very difficult and achy process because I’m not an master successful nan portion industry,” says Qashoo. “Every imaginable partner was suggesting compromise: discuss nan colour, discuss nan font, discuss nan name, discuss nan flag,” he says. “And we said ‘no, we’re not compromising connected immoderate of this’.”

Creating nan drink’s logo was tricky. “How do you create a marque which is rather clear and doesn’t hit astir nan bush?” Qashoo says pinch sparkling eyes and a cheeky grin. “Cola Gaza is straightforward pinch honorable and clear messaging.”

However, uncovering places to banal nan drink, which is produced successful Poland and imported to nan UK to prevention money, was a problem. “Obviously we can’t get to nan large markets because of nan authorities down it,” says Qashoo.

He began by stocking Cola Gaza successful his 3 London restaurants, where, since nan beverage was introduced successful early August, 500,000 cans person been sold. The cola is besides sold by Muslim retailers specified arsenic Manchester-based Al Aqsa, which precocious sold out, says nan store’s manager, Mohammed Hussain.

Cola Gaza is being sold online too, pinch a six-pack going for 12 British pounds ($15). For comparison, a six-pack of Coke sells for astir 4.70 pounds ($6).

Qashoo says that each profits from nan portion are being donated towards rebuilding nan maternity ward of nan al-Karama Hospital, northwest of Gaza City.

A bevy of boycotts

Cola Gaza finds itself among different brands raising consciousness of Palestine and nan boycott against big-name colas operating successful Israel. Palestine Drinks, a Swedish institution that launched successful February, sells an mean of 3 to 4 cardinal cans of their beverages (one is simply a cola) per month, co-founder Mohamed Kiswani tells Al Jazeera. Matrix Cola, created successful Jordan successful 2008 arsenic a section replacement to Coke and Pepsi, which operates its main SodaStream mill successful nan Israeli-occupied West Bank, reported successful January that accumulation had doubled successful caller months. And Spiro Spathis, Egypt’s oldest carbonated drinks company, saw a big spike successful sales during their “100% Made successful Egypt” run past year.

Sales of Spiro Spathis, Egypt’s oldest soda drinks brand, grew arsenic a consequence of a nationwide boycott run targeting Western names [Yasmin Shabana/Al Jazeera]

Jeff Handmaker, an subordinate professor of ineligible sociology astatine Erasmus University Rotterdam successful nan Netherlands, says that though user boycotts activity to clasp companies and states accused of atrocity crimes accountable, it’s a maneuver to make consciousness of and accountability for firm aliases organization complicity successful atrocity crimes, and not an extremity successful itself.

“That’s not moreover their objective, but alternatively to raise awareness, and successful this respect nan run to boycott Coke is evidently successful,” Handmaker adds.

Qashoo is now moving connected nan adjacent type of Cola Gaza, 1 pinch much fizziness. Meanwhile, he hopes that each sip of Cola Gaza reminds group of Palestine’s plight.

“We request to punctual generations aft generations of this horrible holocaust,” he says. “It’s happening and it’s been happening for 75 years.”

“It conscionable needs to beryllium a tiny, gentle reminder, for illustration ‘by nan way, bask your drink, greetings from Palestine’.”