The Acai Berry from the Amazon

A Crown Jewel

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. From the heart of the Amazon Rainforest comes the acai berry. Known for its fertile soil, the rainforest is not an easy place to thrive. With biannual flooding and maximum ultraviolet exposure from the sun, the acai berry is constantly subjected to oxidative stress. Fortunately, nature often provides its own remedy–through adversity, this superfruit has gained life-sustaining nutrient properties. For countless centuries, the people of the Amazon have revered this unique fruit for its health-promoting properties, used it in the treatment of numerous ailments, and prized it as a source of health and vitality.

Thanks in part to MonaVie, modern science has validated the remarkable benefits of the acai berry, bringing it beyond the borders of Amazonia and into the limelight of the world, even dubbing it a superfood. Featuring a nutritional profile second to none, acai is packed with goodness–antioxidants, phyto-nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, healthy fats, and plant sterols. This delicious goodness has been remarkable captured in MonaVie's premier acai formulas.

A Healthy Harvest

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Found deep within the Amazon atop towering palm trees, acai berries are gathered by native harvesting teams in partnership with MonaVie. These skilled harvesters climb 25–30 meter high acai palms with vines secured tightly around their ankles for safety to pick the nutritious and powerful berries. Once retrieved, MonaVie's premier acai berries are placed in a canoe and transported down the Amazon River to be processed.

This ecologically friendly harvesting provides long-term economic benefits to local communities while preserving the lives of trees. In the past, acai palm trees have been illegally chopped down just to harvest a 12-inch section know as the palmito (heart of the palm). This odorless. tasteless, and nutritionally void portion of the tree was sold mostly as a salad garnish. Sadly, palmito harvesting not only destroys the rainforest, but only provides a one-time monetary benefit to locals. By supporting sustained harvesting and the selling of acai, MonaVie is able to bring the most nutrient-rich, wild-grown acai to the market while also enhancing the lives of the people and vital land of Brazil.