The Brazilian açai berry is the crown jewel of MonaVie’s premier blends.

Acai BerryWhile all the fruits contained in MonaVie have unique properties that benefit your body, the açai berry has become the “headliner” fruit because it is packed with nutritional value—proteins, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals.

Where does the açai come from?
The prime commercial source of açai comes from an area where several rivers converge within the Amazon estuary, emptying along the northeastern corner of Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean between the states of Para and Amapa.

The açai berry grows in clusters on the açai palm, a genus of 25-30 species of palms native to tropical Central and South America.

Tropical Central and South AmericaThese tall, slender palms can grow 15-30 meters tall, with leaves up to 3 meters long.

The açai berry is a small, round and dark-purple in appearance. It looks similar to a grape, but it has a smaller amount of pulp and a single large seed.

The unique properties of the Amazon rainforest and the environment in which the açai palm grows are responsible for the amazingly beneficial properties of the açai berry.

There is no way that growers in other countries could ever duplicate the stresses and environmental pressures that these palm trees face living in the harsh Amazon rainforest, and therefore, it is essential that the açai berry be protected and harvested from this unique area of the world.

Açai-bearing palm treeDoes harvesting the açai destroy the Amazon rainforest?

Not at all.

In fact, MonaVie is helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest by harvesting the açai berry.

You see, each week, poachers illegally chop down 5,000-10,000 palm trees to obtain and sell a 12-inch section of the palm known as the heart of the palm (or “palmito”) for a salad garnish.

As a result, the entire tree dies.

On the other hand, by harvesting the açai berry, the palm tree continues to thrive and the natives have an incentive to preserve the açai-bearing palm tree.

Once these trees are destroyed, they never return.

By creating a demand for the açai berry, MonaVie has given locals an economic incentive to harvest only the berries and not the heart of the palm. This not only preserves the trees and the Amazon rainforest, but it also provides a continual source of income for the locals.

A perfect food?
For countless centuries, the people of the Amazon have revered this unique fruit for its health-promoting properties and prized it as a source of health and vitality.
The remarkable health benefits of açai are continually being documented by modern science, and because of its unparalleledantioxidant levels and extraordinary nutrient content, açai is now widely regarded as one of the world’s top superfoods.

The açai berry offers the following nutrients/benefits:

• Contains more than 16 phytonutrients and antioxidants
• Essential fatty acids (omega 3,6, and 9)
• Amino acids – açai has the protein profile of an egg
• High in fiber
• Vitamins – including natural vitamin E
• Minerals – including calcium, iron, chromium, copper, and others
• Has a low glycemic index

So complete is this berry that the Brazilian people living along the Amazon can survive on it as their sole source of food and demonstrate amazing vitality and energy.

More important than this, however, is the impressive amount of phytonutrients and powerful antioxidants MonaVie is able to capture from the açai berry through its exclusive processing techniques.