Açai Berries: The Myth Behind the Berry, and the Labels
Thu, May 20, 2010
Author: rmatusow (1 Articles)
Richard Matusow is the VP of Business Development at Sambazon Acai, the leading American brand of organic acai. Richard lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
It amazes me how little we know about the history and origins of our food, especially when it’s from far away. In 2001, I lived in Rio de Janeiro for a year and ate Açaí bowls topped with granola in all corners of the city.
It was entertaining and perplexing to hear the myriad of responses from all the Açaí charged Cariocas (Rio natives). “It’s a fruit from the northeast” was the most common retort. Being from New Hampshire, it made me think of blueberries and how in other parts of the USA people have no idea where and how blueberries grow.
Still, you’d think people that owned juice bars that sold hundreds of Açaís everyday would know more about their cash crop. My favorite juice bar in Ipanema, O Re’ de Açaí (meaning the King of Açaí), even had a picture of an “Açaí plant” and told me it grows on bushes along the river. Next time I’m in Rio, I’ll have to share the real story with the King of Açaí:
Once upon a not so long time ago, there was a village at the edge of the Pará river in the Amazon. Times were hard, but the village grew and grew and grew, until one day there was no more food left for anyone. The chief of the village had to make the very hard decision to have all newborn babies sacrificed.
This chief had a daughter called Iaça, who soon gave birth to a little baby girl. The chief was heartbroken, but had to order that his new granddaughter be sacrificed to be fair to everyone else. Iaça was devastated and cried day and night, going for long days without food or drink and not leaving her house at all. Then one night, she heard the crying of a baby that seemed to be coming from the forest. She dragged herself out of her hut and followed the sound into the surrounding forest, even though she was very weak from having had no food.
The chief woke up the next morning to learn that his daughter had gone missing. He quickly organized a search party and set out to look for her. They found Iaça dead, with a smile on her face, underneath a palm tree that was laden with dark purple fruit. In gratitude for the find of this new food source, the people named the fruit after Iaça (Açaí is Iaça spelled backwards). The chief lifted his orders, and the village prospered thereafter. Some say that the village grew to become the city of Belém in the state of Pará, Brazil.
On the other hand, it makes sense that we don’t know much about a small purple berry that grows atop 60 foot palm trees in the flooded plains of the Amazon River. Unscrupulous companies seize opportunities like this to
make unsubstantiated claims to try to prey on consumers’ ignorance and insecurities. Being so close to the Açaí trade and a part of the team that introduced Açaí all over the USA, it fascinates me to see how companies will
claim anything to try to sell more units. The multi-level marketing schemes that sell so called Açaí in fancy shelf stable wine bottles and make a whole litany of health claims are the epitome of this exploitation. Especially
since the ingredients are cooked to the hilt and despite the big letter on the front, Açaí is one of the last ingredients.
The weight loss internet spam schemes are probably are probably a close second with crystal clear Açaí beverages trailing just behind. It is a fact that Açaí raw material contains tons of antioxidants and omegas and tastes great, but that doesn’t mean every product made with Açai necessarily has these elements in them.
Tags: Richard Matusow
Richard,
I have always been a little bit skeptical about the claims regarding acai, especially when the first ingredients on many of the bottle out there is sugar and water. I think it is important that their is a player in the market like yourself who is not just setting the standards, but educating people on the elements of the entire chain of custody.
A good friend of mine just returned from Brazil and explained to me how acai is eaten with fresh fruits and granolas, almost as if it were the base at a TCBY. Do you envision that we will eventually start to see quick serve acai cafes here in the US with that build-your-own-bowl mentality? Is this the most healthy and “raw” means by which to consume acai?
The bowl is has been the goal from the start. Many cafes and juice bars around the country are making great bowls and our highest quality product is the frozen packs that have a bowl recipe on the back. It’s simple to make and you can top it with granola and/or fruit.
Enjoy!
This was a great article, until i came to the end and couldn’t help feeling like I just read an ad for Sambazon on a website I once considered to have good information on subjects that are otherwise clouded by false clam’s at every turn. This article/sales pitch is no better. Sambazon’s “antioxidant elixir premium juice beverage” In the end the acai berry is just another food fad. Blue berries, strawberries, black berries and so on can all make the same claims and they grow in your back yard. That’s what sustainable food is, honest food. I love the site and I know it’s free but please save the sales pitches for the banners with their claims of that “one weird trick to make you thin”
@Mike
You are totally correct. I’ve edited out the “sales pitch” portion of the story. Thanks for the feedback – we strive to keep every story unbiased to give people the real “inside scoop” on what’s going on in the world of sustainable food.
Thanks!
Kenji
Mike,
I was unsure of the objective of these postings. I was not intending to plug Sambazon. On the other hand, to inform people of what’s going on with the Acai trade in the US.
Cheers,
richard
I guess an inverted version of this issue is products that have Acai as one of the top ingredients, but are also full of other crap that surely outweigh whatever health benefits one believes the berry conveys. (E.g. the acai & coffee sorbet my brother left in my freezer.)
With all the nutritional benefits of acai how come we can’t get it fresh in the US? Does anyone have any experience with the frozen pulp?
Acai berries are 95% seed so you can’t eat them like other fruits. In the Amazon they’re rolled and you get a fresh liquid. However, for consumption anywhere outside the amazon the liquid is frozen into a puree.
To be honest, the only thing that bothers me about these “exotic super anti-oxidants” is that they play into the ridiculous fad diet mentality in America – where you can take the supplement and get enormous benefit without changing the rest of your diet or exercising. It’s like when I learned that Vitamin C based from ascorbic acid didn’t carry much or any benefit but far less quantity of a naturally derived Vitamin C had real tangible benefit. Acai came marketed as having the highest ORAC score which made me immediately skeptical. I guess I’d give “Pom” the credit for breaking this marketing trend into the mainstream…. with all that said, I love Acai and think Sambazon has done a very good job putting out a quality product and caring about the supply chain.