Salaam Cola Builds an Empire on Flavor Ethics and Global Solidarity

Photo Courtesy of: Salaam Cola

/EIN News/ -- ISTANBUL, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On an overcast afternoon in Turkey, the scent of cola syrup lingers faintly in the air outside a modest bottling plant. It sits unassuming, nestled between rows of small businesses in a redeveloped industrial park. Yet behind those factory doors, something quietly radical takes place. Salaam Cola, a halal-certified soft drink launched less than two years ago, bottles more than soda. It engineers a counter-narrative to a century-old industry. Aykiz Shah, a 27-year-old soft-spoken yet steely entrepreneur, leads the company and redefines what a global brand can look like when profit shares the stage with purpose.

Frustration birthed Salaam Cola. Defiance formed it. Faith fuels it. The company has upended expectations in more ways than one. Sellers now distribute it in over 14 countries with aggressive expansion plans underway. It has become a symbol for consumers seeking more than fizz from their refreshments. Yet amid this momentum, the company continues to wrestle with questions about scale, sustainability, and how far a mission-driven brand can stretch without compromising its core.

A Market Ready for Disruption

Legacy players have long controlled the global soft drinks market, which has now entered a new phase. According to Statista, the worldwide market will reach $1.49 trillion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.7 percent forecast through 2030. The soft drinks sector will generate $2.61 billion in 2025 alone in Ireland, where Salaam Cola maintains its headquarters. Out-of-home consumption will contribute $1.48 billion of that total. These numbers underscore the size of the opportunity and the challenge of entering a space multinational incumbents still tightly hold.

Shifting consumer priorities are changing the industry. Functional beverages, ethically produced goods, and culturally inclusive brands are gaining momentum. Salaam Cola aligns its strategy with these values. The company pledges 10 percent of its profits to communities affected by war and poverty. This commitment remains consistent across all markets. Current efforts include funding a school in Egypt for displaced Palestinian children, providing medical care to more than 10,000 refugees, and delivering essential food and water in Gaza, Syria, and Yemen.

Unlike competitors that embed philanthropy behind complex branding campaigns, Salaam Cola places its mission front and center. Shah explains their approach. "I decided early on. I will lead my brand with our ethics, and giving back is in our DNA. We choose transparency. Turns out, that is what people waited for."

The Woman Behind the Movement

Resistance and resolve root Aykiz Shah's path to entrepreneurship. As a veiled Muslim woman in an industry men still dominate, she chose to build a company that reflects her values and addresses the needs of underrepresented communities. Born in the UK to immigrant parents, she founded Salaam Beverages Co. Limited in 2023 without outside investment or industry backing.

Her work ethic now forms part of the company's story. Shah, with a background in the soft drinks industry, Launched Salaam Cola, Starting from a small kitchen worktop with just a laptop, Shah's determination has led to remarkable growth, including an international expansion of Salaam Cola within this short time frame. This journey highlights how passion and hard work can transform a simple idea into a thriving brand; the first 6 months Shah drove the delivery trucks and operated forklifts, often working 19-hour days to run the business. "There was not a roadmap," she says. "Just a clear sense that something needed to change in this space."

That change began modestly. Community centers, local shops, and informal feedback loops in Muslim-majority neighborhoods facilitated early market testing. When the feedback proved overwhelmingly positive, praising both the flavor and the brand's mission, Shah pushed forward. She scaled up at a pace many advised against.

Today, distributors sell Salaam Cola in 14 countries, including Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. The company has also secured shelf space in major halal grocery chains and makes inroads into more mainstream outlets. The founder's visibility has not come without friction, however. "They asked me once if I would remove my niqab for a brand campaign," Shah recalls. "I told them I would consider removing them from my vendor list instead."

Growing Demand and Rising Tensions

Scrutiny grows as the company expands. With increased market visibility, Salaam Cola has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over brand activism. Supporters hail it as a case study in ethical capitalism. Detractors accuse it of politicizing consumer goods. Some fringe voices have gone further, spinning conspiracy theories about the company's real intentions.

Shah meets such criticism with composure and wit. "Terrorists? No. The only thing we blow up is sales," she said in a recent interview. "If feeding starving kids qualifies as radical, then fine. Call it a revolution."

Nevertheless, the company's growth presents real success. Salaam Cola plans to expand into ten more countries by early 2026. The company builds regional production hubs in North America and Southeast Asia. These facilities will create over 2,000 jobs, with roles spanning manufacturing, logistics, marketing, and operations.

Despite this growth, Salaam Cola maintains its requirement that all international partners contribute 10 percent of their local sales to regional charities. "We do not just export cola," Shah explains. "We export a framework for responsible enterprise."

Salaam Cola is emerging as a strong competitor in the beverage market, gaining the trust of consumers who are increasingly choosing it as their go-to brand. This shift in preference has prompted Coca-Cola sales agents to reach out to distributors to understand the decline in their sales. Distributors have noted that Salaam Cola has successfully captured their shelf space, reflecting its growing popularity among consumers.

Corporate Cola Wars Are Brewing. “We didn’t come to play. We came to disrupt,” Shah states. “If our success makes people uncomfortable, good. It means we’re doing something right.”

A Reflection and a Recommitment

The rise of Salaam Cola signals a possible shift in how people evaluate soft drinks and perhaps consumer brands more broadly as the global beverage market continues to change. In an industry defined by flavor, pricing, and advertising muscle, Shah bets that transparency, ethics, and shared impact can drive loyalty and longevity.

She focuses on scale without dilution from her modest Dublin headquarters. "We share photos. We share receipts. We share proof," she says. "You cannot build trust behind closed doors."

Shah has ambitious plans for the future. She envisions new products, new markets, new partnerships. However, the foundation remains unchanged. "We started with cola," she says. "But we build something bigger. It is not just a brand. It serves as proof that doing the right thing can work at scale."

In a world where branding often obscures meaning, Salaam Cola offers something rare. It provides clarity.

Contact Information:

Contact Person's Name: Aykiz Shah, Founder and CEO

Organization / Company:Salaam Beverages Co Limited

Company website: www.salaamcola.com

Contact Email Address: distribution@salaamcola.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74a6d11b-0096-4a8c-a4f8-11a64356768d