The Acai Berry is perhaps one of the best sources of natural antioxidants. Açaí (pronouced ah-sah-EE) is the fruit of a palm tree which scientific name is Euterpe Oleracea. It is native to the Brazilian amazon jungle and the Colombian pacific coast. It is currently being consumed by 42% of the local native population. Rhumveld is glad to be the exclusive distributor in Europe of the largest Freeze Dried Acai producer in Colombia. One of the advantages of Colombian Acai is that it contains more antioxidants (higher ORAC value) than Brazilian acai.
The production facility of our supplier is located in Puerto Asis, in the south of Colombia. They are currently using 2000 hectares but have the potential to increase production in the next couple of years. The factory is located close to the cultivation area, because the fruit has to be processed within 24 hours after collection, otherwise it will loose its properties.
The Colombian government subsidizes Acai cultivation in order to help many farmers who were controlled by the FARC to stimulate them and give them the opportunity to cultivate acai. Our supplier also develops and supports health and education programs to improve the living conditions of the farmers.