The Acai Berry - Rainforest Mystique

The nutritional breakdown of açaí is prodigious. It has high levels of iron, calcium, carbohydrates, fibre and antioxidants.

And energy.

A small 100g cup has almost 300 calories. Combined with the mystique of its Amazonian origins, açaí's contents have made it the beverage of choice for Rio's sporty elite.

The way it looks is integral to its appeal. It is made from dark violet berries about the size of a raspberry; a deep, dense colour that seems weighted down by its nutritional secrets. It reflects no light and has the texture of mud. It is fruity with a chocolatey kick.

Açaí is indigenous to the flood plains of the Amazon River estuary. The açaí palm regenerates with ease. In areas where human development has destroyed natural vegetation the first tree that grows in its place is açaí. (Açaí palms cover an area equivalent to half the size of Switzerland.)

In this region, its abundance and role as primary nutritional resource cannot be over-estimated: it is literally the fruit that has saved many poor families from starvation.

Açaí is the main food staple of river communities in the Amazon estuary,' says the agronomist Oscar Nogueira. It is drunk for every meal - in much the same way as bread or rice is eaten in other cultures.

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ACAI, A GLOBAL SUPER FRUIT, IS DINNER IN THE AMAZON

Clustered high up in the slender, tilting palms of the eastern Amazon, the little purple orbs known as acai look mighty, like blueberries that took a very wrong turn out of Maine. These are no mere muffin makers, though.

Virtually unknown outside the Amazon two decades ago, and until 2000 not exported from Brazil, its major producer, acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is now an international celebrity, riding the wave of the antioxidant craze and rainforest chic. On the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, surfers seeking an energy boost spoon acai smoothies from bowls. In the United States, companies touting its antioxidant powers blend the fruit into Snapple red tea; Red Brick Pizza’s frantically trendy multigrain, whole-wheat artisan crust; and everything from dietary supplements to beauty products.

But for families who live here along the winding, interlaced rivers at the hub of acai production, the fruit has long been a vital part of their diet, a cheap way to fill up and a taste of home. And now, for some, it is a source of newfound prosperity.

In places like Cameta, a town of about 117,000, and Belem, the capital of Para State, a bowl of acai pulp is a filling side dish especially valued by poorer families.

Unlike the pulp used in Rio’s smoothies, the kind here is not pre-sweetened or frozen, but fresh from cylindrical machines known as batedores de acai, “acai beaters,” that remove the thin layer of fruit from the pit. Most every neighborhood has stands or small stores where customers get a daily or weekly supply.

Acai’s international reputation as an energy booster and diet aid tickles those who grew up with it as a caloric side dish.

“I find it funny,” said LetÝcia Galvao, a psychologist who was having a lunch of seafood and acai with her husband and 1-year-old daughter at a restaurant called Point do Acai. “Generally, when you have acai here, you take a nap. There, it’s an energy drink.”

Galvao said that her brother, a doctor living in the southern state of Parana, wasn’t a big acai fan growing up. But these days he asks anyone visiting him from Belem for a liter of the fresh stuff.

“Acai has the taste of our land,” she said. “It’s a way of reconnecting. It’s a taste of childhood.”

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Dinner in the Amaxzon

Acai: Powerful Antioxidant Beverage Hitting Select Stores Nationwide

Purple Beverage Company, Inc. (OTCBB: PPBV), announced today that it has shipped PURPLE, its hot new antioxidant beverage, to GNC, the world’s largest specialty retailer of nutritional products. PURPLE, known for its revolutionary formula that combines seven powerful antioxidant-rich fruits in a tangy, delicious beverage, will be featured in select GNC stores nationwide in February.

The main ingredient of all natural, no sugar added PURPLE is the exotic acai berry which, after being hailed as the new “superfood” on the Oprah Winfrey Show and website, had wise consumers clamoring for its high levels of antioxidants.

Purple Beverage Company combined the dark purple Amazonian açaí berry with six other antioxidant-rich juices, including black cherry, pomegranate, black currant, purple plum, cranberry and blueberry, in its signature beverage, creating a rich-tasting antioxidant drink that is great on its own and makes a healthy and nutritious fruit smoothie.

Additionally, PURPLE is the perfect mixer for your favorite cocktail. In fact, researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture and a study at Kasetsart University in Thailand recently reported that adding alcohol to antioxidant-rich berries increases their antioxidant power – a fact that is making PURPLE one of today’s most popular cocktail trends in nightclubs and lounges, like the legendary Palm Restaurant in New York City.

“We are thrilled to join the ranks of the high-end, healthful products sold at GNC stores. This is an important step in our planned nationwide retail rollout to make PURPLE available for consumers everywhere to enjoy,” said Ted Farnsworth, CEO of Purple Beverage Company. "Since PURPLE made its official debut a few short months ago, consumers and even celebrities like legendary recording artist Chaka Khan have embraced it, sky-rocketing the antioxidant-rich drink to its status as one of the most sought-after beverages in markets like New York, Los Angeles and Miami. With select, national availability at GNC stores, more consumers can now experience the Power of PURPLE.”

Purple Beverage Company, Inc. is a beverage company that develops, markets and distributes a unique antioxidant beverage product. Its business strategy is to develop and market a special line of beverage brands and products that will be positioned as "better for you" beverages targeting the growing category of New Age/Functional beverage consumers.

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