Açai: Little Berry Shows Big Growth Potential
by Kerrin Rourke andSonia Caltvedt

The açai phenomenon is spreading across America like wildfire. It was named one ofthe Top Ten Superfoods for Age-Defying Beauty by Nicholas Perricone, M.D., on Oprah Winfreys popular talkshow as well as in his best selling book, The PerriconePromise. It has also received media attention from awide range of outlets such as The Washington Post, TheWall Street Journal, The New York Times, Oprah, Vogue, Bon Appetit, SportsIllustrated and MTV.

What is behind this craze? Açai (Euterpebadiocarpa) is a delicious palm berry native to theBrazilian Amazon rainforest. It has been a staple in Amazonian diets forcenturies, but was only recently introduced to U.S. retail outlets by SambazonInc. in early 2000. Açai possesses exceptional health properties, as well as aunique flavor that is comparable to boysenberry or cherry with chocolateovertones.

Açai grows on palm trees that can reach up to 80 feet inheight. The trees are only found in the Amazon rainforest of northernBrazil, where the humidity and mineral content of the earth allow for perfectgrowing conditions. The berries grow on long branches in clusters and yieldfruit year-round.This provides a consistent source of nutrients for thecommunities of this area and a steady supply for export.

The fruits must be harvested by hand, as the clusters must begently pulled apart and the berries selected for quality. Açai then must beprocessed immediately in order to maintain the highest health benefits possibleand to avoid spoilage. And to be exported safely, açai requires pasteurization.

There are exciting opportunities for fair trade andecologically sustainable sourcing of açai. Cultivating and selling the fruit isa viable economic alternative to practices that contribute to the depletion ofthe Amazonian rainforest. Unsustainable harvesting of hearts of palm, logging,and the conversion of the forest to farmland or cattle ranches pose considerablethreats to both the environment and the indigenous culture that it is so much apart of. Communities in this area can harvest and sell açai to help preservetheir land and their way of life while sustaining themselves economically.Jeremy Black, global brand manager of Sambazon, recommends manufacturers dotheir due diligence on the sourcing practices of their fruit packers and requestdocumentation of their production process and supply chain.

Fruit of Life

The people of the Brazilian Amazon know açai as the fruitof life. The berry pulp contains antioxidants that prevent cellulardamage from free radicals that can lead to a number of degenerative healthconditions. It also contains a very high concentration of anthocyanins, theantioxidants that give grapes and red wine their many health benefits and richpurple color. Anthocyanins appear to have therapeutic effects in conditions suchas diabetes and some inflammatory conditions of the central nervous system.Theymay also protect against negative reactions to radiation and chemotherapy.

Açai contains a nearly perfect amino acid profile, along withimportant trace minerals that are essential to proper muscle function. In addition, açai contains several different compounds thatlower high cholesterol levels in the body. It contains the very same balance ofomega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids (EFAs) as olive oil. Both of thesehelp to lower levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad, cholesterol)while maintaining levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL, the beneficialcholesterol). Açai is also a great source of dietary fiber and phytosterols,which help promote the health of the cardiovascular and digestive systems andreduce unhealthy blood cholesterol levels.

Açai fruit can be eaten directly from the tree, though localBrazilian peoples use açai in a lot of different dishes. It can be found plain,combined with other juices, or mixed with tapioca flour, manioc, fish or shrimp.In the United States, açai is a key ingredient in a number of functionalbeverages and frozen novelty bars. The pulp is also sold as a frozen fruit,which can be added to homemade smoothies, and is sold as a dietary supplement inboth extract and capsule form as well. It has also surpassed wheatgrass shots in popularity in thejuice bar market.

Current sales growth is primarily due to very successful newproduct launches by a small handful of brands, and products featuring açai areshowing impressive growth in both the natural and conventional retail channels.With nearly $3.8 million in sales for the 52-week period ending Nov. 3, 2005,compared to sales of $435,000 in the previous year, açai products haveexperienced an amazing year-over-year growth of 770 percent, according toSPINSscan Natural and SPINSscan Conventional data.

Açai is an up and coming ingredient with far-reachingpotential for growth and expansion across many categories. This superfood offersa desirable combination of delicious flavor and powerful nutrition, making it achoice functional ingredient for foods ranging from cereals and smoothies tochocolate and baked goods.

Kerrin Rourke is a natural products expert and Sonia Caltvedtin marketing and communications with San Francisco-based SPINS, a leading marketresearch firm. For more information on açai performance or otheringredient-level sales reporting, contact SPINS at (415) 957-4400 or[email protected].