Wal-Mart is betting on acai

Acai berries, found in the Amazon, are believed to have healthy qualities and may also help the big box retailer in a down economy. Acai Berry Juice sold some $40 million within its first 90 days on the market and is expected to hit roughly $110 million in sales next year, Lindsay Duncan, Genesis Today founder, president & CEO, told CNBC.

The Brazilian berry juice, developed by Wal-Mart and Genesis Today, contains the protein content of an egg, the fat content of olive oil and the highest level of antioxidants known to any food, claimed Duncan.

“It’s very clear to me and it’s very clear to Wal-Mart that America is very vertically ill,” he said. “And we’re interested in doing something about that with products that do no harm.”

Studies at the University of Florida also indicate that acai killed 86 percent of Leukemia cells in a laboratory, Duncan said.

Wal-Mart reached out to Duncan to develop a healthy food product, he said.

“They [Wal-Mart] just wanted to learn about my 27 years of helping people heal their body with nutrition,” he said. “It’s kind of what like Whole Foods has done. They believe that food’s your medicine. And that’s what we do, and they wanted to pick my brain and find out what foods do I believe are the most healthy foods in the world.”

Genesis Today is not considering going public, said Duncan: “There's no reason to go public.”

http://www.cnbc.com/id/33910374