Acai Berries

The resource for all things Acai Berry

Acai Berry General Information

It has been called the “number one super food in the world.” Experts have raved about its nutrients and other benefits including healthy fats and antioxidants—on the news as well as on national shows like Oprah and The Rachel Ray Show. Some supermarkets are beginning to sell products like acai berry juices and acai pulp. So many people are wondering—just where do acai berries come from?

Most people aren’t lucky enough to have access to fresh acai berries. These berries grow on trees that are found in one of the more remote areas of the world—the Amazon rainforest. And unfortunately, acai berries cannot be exported to other countries. Due to their high fat content, the berries go rancid within one day of being picked from the trees; therefore, it would be impossible for fresh berries to ever reach the marketplace here in the United States. However, because acai pulp, juices, and supplements are available, anyone can enjoy the health benefits of the acai berry.

There are actually several species of acai palm trees native to Central America and South America. The trees, which can grow to be nearly 100 feet tall, are found in Peru and Brazil, and only as far north as Belize, growing in or near swamps. Acai trees produce both the fruits and another popular edible product—hearts of palm, which are consumed as vegetables, most typically in salads. But, the berries are what make the trees so important to the Amazon area because they are in great global demand.

Acai berries actually resemble grapes in their outward appearance. Ripe fruits can be deep green or shades of purple or even blackish purple, depending upon the tree species from which they grew. The berries grow in branched groups of between 700 to 900 berries. Each tree can grow two crops of berries per year. The fruit is harvested by local people living in the area, without the use of any machinery. One person climbs a tree to chop down one of the berry bunches, which he then brings down to someone else waiting below. The second person then plucks off all of the fruit by hand. After several baskets of berries have been harvested they are taken by boat to a drop off manufacturing point at a nearby village. The acai berries must be processed within 24 hours of being picked.

The demand for this fruit has grown to a great degree over the last few years. This is because as the nutritional benefits of the berries have become more widely known, more people have wanted to have access to the fruit. Scientists are still studying the acai berry, but there have been several discoveries. It has been shown that this fruit can:

More benefits of consuming acai berries may be found as studies continue.