The story of how a sustainable supply chain for açaí berries was established in the Brazilian Amazon and a market for the product built in the US is featured in The Guardian’s sustainable business section.

The açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea) is a native to northern South America and Trinidad and grows mostly in swamps and floodplains. It produces a small, round, black-purple fruit - the açaí berry - which is smaller but similar in appearance to a grape. The fruit is sold as a pulp, juice, or an ingredient in various products from beverages to foods, cosmetics and supplements.

US-based food company, Sambazon (or Sustainable Management of the Brazilian Amazon) has worked with support from NGOs, WWF Brazil and Federal University of Para (Belem) to develop a sustainable agroforestry program for açaí production. From an initial pilot program in 2002 with 100 farmers, the program has now grown to include more than 10,000 farmers.

The company is training indigenous communities in the Amazon estuary region in the sustainable harvesting of the acai berry to double their current yields and increase their earning potential by up to 40 per cent. They have also built a fruit manufacturing facility on the banks of the Amazon River in Macapa.

“We have shown that capitalism combined with democracy can be a powerful weapon to promote innovation, social equality and the protection of biodiversity,” writes Ryan Black, CEO of Sambazon.

Read the full story: Member Spotlight: Sambazon Açai