If you are looking for pure acai pulp, you have come to the right place.  There are many websites and companies offering acai in various forms... pills, drinks, weight loss supplements.  We do not approve of any of these products.  We do not make any specific health claims about acai.  We simply offer the best acai as close to nature as possible.  Please read our section on acai scams below for more information.

Great for your health, great for the environment!
People describe the taste of Açaí  as a mix of chocolate and blueberries... but here's the best bit: It's really good for you! Açaí has been shown in laboratory analysis to have higher antioxidant levels than Blueberries, Pomegranates or red wine. In addition, it is unique among fruit in that it contains healthy omega oils (6 & 9).

What's more eating Açaí benefits the environment and people of the Amazon! Greenpeace have listed Açaí as one of the most important non-timber forest products from the Amazon. By helping provide an income, the indigenous people have an ability to sustain themselves and the rainforest.

Why choose Açaí frozen pulp?
The actual fruit is about the size of a large blueberry, but mostly consists of a large inedible seed. The edible part is the outer skin and a thin layer of fruit. Soon after the Açaí berries are harvested, they are usually mashed to make a pulp. In parts of Brazil, where Açaí trees grow, they have this fresh on the day it was picked. In fact, until very recently (1990's), it was only available in the Amazon area. Now frozen Açaí pulp can be eaten all over the world - as fresh as you would find in the best juice bars of Rio. By freezing Açaí, all of the goodness is locked in - as fresh as the day it was picked.

Açaí deteriorates rapidly after harvest, so it must be frozen on the same day it was picked. We ensure that all of our Açaí is picked, pulped and frozen on the same day, so you can be guaranteed the same freshness as you would get in the Amazon itself!

Grades of Açaí
In Brazil, the ministry of agriculture have laid down standards for Açaí pulp. There are 3 established grades. The grade determines how much water has been added to make the pulp. The top grade with the most fruit is known as Especial, the others are known as Medio and Popular. It is Brazilian law that the grade is printed on the pack. If you want the best, make sure it says Especial. Sublime Food will only ever supply Especial grade Açaí.

Freeze dried Açaí

Freeze dried Açaí is made by taking Açaí pulp and extracting all of the moisture under a vacuum. Although Freeze drying is a very effective way of preserving nutrients, this can never match the experience of eating freshly frozen Açaí pulp. Freeze dried Açaí can be used to add an energy boost to juices, smoothies, yoghurt, cereals, you name it.

Açaí has become popular in Rio de Janeiro and the beaches of southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as Açaí na tigela (" Açaí in the bowl"), mixed with Guarana, banana and topped with Granola (see our recipe page for details). It is said that the Gracie family mixed Acai with Guarana to use it as part of their training regime. Generations of the Gracie family have become world champion fighters.

As Acai deteriorates rapidly after harvest, its raw material is generally available outside the immediate growing region only as juice or fruit pulp that has been frozen, dried, or freeze-dried. Several companies now manufacture juices, health drinks, yoghurts, and sorbets made from acai berries, often in combination with other fruits.

Acai scams:

When something is as good as acai, unfortunately a lot of unscrupulous companies will attempt to use it to their advantage.  It seems that this is unavoidable when money is involved!

Free acai trials!

A scam common in the UK and USA offers a free trial of acai.  To sign up, you must give your credit card details.  They send you the "Free trial" alright - but what they don't tell you is that you have signed up to a lifetime subscription to some dubious acai product.  They then charge your credit card forever (or until you cancel it).  Many people have complained that they can't cancel this subscription.  I have even heard that this is so common in the UK that Lloyds bank have been inundated with calls from people trying to cancel this subscription!

We have been approached by some of these companies - But have completely refused to have anything to do with them.

Multi level marketing

Another common product containing acai are these over-priced MLM drinks containing acai as well as a wide variety of other fruits.  We have not tried all of these products, so can't offer an opinion on them.  However, their strategy depends on you consuming their product as well as becoming a salesperson for their company.  This means that you've got to continuously attempt to turn your friends into consumers of this thing.  You get commission for any sales you make.  They tempt you in offering you the chance to make millions.  The problem we have with this is that the commission has got to come from somewhere.  It has got to come from the high price of the product you are selling.

If you want acai - you're in the right place.  If you want to become a salesperson and annoy your friends - then these MLM acai drinks are for you!

Oprah Winfrey and acai

Oprah Winfrey is a big fan of acai.  She first mentioned acai on her show when she had Dr Nicholas Perricone on her show.  Dr Perricone listed acai as top of his list of the world's best "superfoods".  He praised acai because of the high level of antioxidants - as well as being a good source of omega oils (6&9... NOT Omega 3!).  Since then she has had a lot of complaints because of companies using her recommendation to promote their acai products.  We think that Oprah has done a great job bringing this information to the public arena.  It is not her fault that others have used her to promote their products.

Açaí smoothies

There are many acai smoothies on the market.  Most supermarkets in the UK are selling smoothies / drinks containing a small amount of acai.  While some of these taste good, a quick scan of their ingredients reveal that they contain a miniscule amount of acai pulp.  Many of these make big bold claims about how good acai is, but the drink can contain as little as 2% acai pulp!!!

Some of the more notable acai drinks on the market are Innocent's "superfood" smoothie, which tastes great - but again only contains a small amount of acai.  Happy monkey Acai drinks have a good taste and a reasonable amount of acai.