Food - Drink
Most Of The World’s Açaí Comes From This Country
By MICHELLE WELSCH
Maybe you’ve tried an açaí smoothie or seen it in the frozen food aisle, or maybe the purple berry has snuck its way into your skincare, vitamins, or even perfumes without you noticing. Açaí berries are extremely versatile and packed with health benefits, and we have one country to thank for the majority of the world’s açaí berries.
As remarkable as the antioxidant-loaded acai berry is, acai trees are even more so; they can reach nearly 100 feet tall and require a brave soul to climb to the top to pick the berry clusters, which take up to 10 years to grow. While açaí berries grow throughout the Amazon River basin, a majority of these berries are harvested in the Brazilian state of Pará.
In 2019, Pará was responsible for nearly 95% of Brazil’s açaí production—enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools; those numbers are remarkable considering that a single açaí tree will only produce around 45 pounds of fruit each year. Yet Brazil only exports about 1% of their harvested supply, meaning there is huge potential for growth in the industry.