Açaí and the Amazon 

Açaí has gone global as a superfood rich in healthy fats, fibre, and antioxidants. Recent research has found that açaí supports digestive, brain, and heart health, and helps regulate blood sugar. This appeal is not new for Indigenous and riverine communities in the Brazilian Amazon, where around 95% of the world’s açaí comes from. Açaí pulp has been a cornerstone of life in the Amazon for millennia, serving as a daily staple and carrying important cultural value for local communities.  

The açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea) is native to the Amazon várzea floodplain forests. It thrives as part of a healthy forest with companion trees, nutrient-rich sediments, and abundant insect pollinators. Today it is one of the Amazon’s leading non-timber forest products, which enables communities to benefit from healthy standing forests, and reduce deforestation.

However, açaí faces a major challenge: approximately 85% of each harvested berry is seed, which is inedible and not widely used. Harvested seed waste generates approximately 1.6 million tonnes of waste per year. Poor disposal is a chronic issue across the Amazon, degrading ecosystems, polluting cities, and creating public health risks.  

As demand for açaí pulp increases, problems associated with açaí waste compound in the Amazon.  But what if this waste was a valuable resource? For Raízes do Açaí, wasted seeds are not only a problem, but a starting ingredient.  

From waste to Infusions

Rosilan Farias, founder of Raízes do Açaí, became “restless” as she witnessed “the absurd amount of açaí seeds being discarded” despite its many health benefits. Born in Amapá and later moving to Belém, she grew up deeply connected to the river ecosystems where açaí thrives, and has always been passionate about the region’s biodiversity, culture, and gastronomy. She quickly realized that açaí seed waste is not just a material waste, but represents wasted environmental, social, and economic value. This realization led her to start Raízes do Açaí, with a mission to unlock the full potential of açaí while honoring Amazonian biodiversity.

As Rosilan experimented with açaí products on a small scale, she was introduced to Gabriela Alarcón, a food engineer experienced in R&D with native Amazonian ingredients. They partnered up to combine Rosilan’s entrepreneurial vision and community ties with Gabriela’s scientific expertise. Today, Gabriela leads the technical team, overseeing product formulation and research, in collaboration with leading Brazilian universities.  

From humble beginnings experimenting with discarded seeds in Belém in 2021, Raízes do Açaí has grown into a multi-product company. Their flagship product is a caffeine-free functional açaí drink, which is brewed like coffee. It’s rich in antioxidants, fibre, and essential nutrients, and offers a natural energy boost. They also produce tea in biodegradable tea bags and a spiced Amazon chai mix, and continue to develop new açaí-based drinks.  

Impact in every cup

Positive social and environmental impact is ingrained into Raízes do Açaí’s business. Sourcing post-pulp seeds from riverine communities, the company has supported about 30 families to date, generating additional income for those families from the same harvest.  

So far, the company has upcycled over 50 tonnes of açaí seeds into beverages. Beyond upcycling waste, this contributes to Brazil’s “standing forest bioeconomy”. By aligning improved livelihoods with biodiversity, sustainable açaí harvests reduces deforestation pressure and creates incentives for Amazon conservation.  

Not all açaí benefits the Amazon. Mismanaged plantations and near-monocultures that displace native forests threaten amazonian biodiversity. Well aware of this, Raízes do Açaí avoids mismanaged açaí by sourcing only from within its trusted networks of families and communities practicing sustainable harvest systems, such as Dona Gorete (pictured above). This helps ensure their supply chain supports regenerative practices and communities directly.

Scaling their impact

Raízes do Açaí’s team is focused on scaling up their impact. Rosilan states that her participation in the Empreende Amazônia (a UNEP Restoration Factory Program) helped her clarify their paths:  

“Empreende Amazônia helped us plan and model our business with practical tools. It connected us with a network of entrepreneurs and specialists who also believe in the bioeconomy as a path for the future. It strengthened our vision and gave us more confidence to keep expanding.” 

Rosilan and Gabriela plan to scale up while deepening benefits for riverine families and the Amazon. They’re also growing their online channels to connect more consumers directly with Amazonian biodiversity. Their ambition goes far beyond Brazil. As Rosilan puts it “our dream is to become a global reference in Amazonian infusions, not only for flavor, but for purpose.”

Visit Raízes do Açaí’s website and follow their journey on Instagram to see how this Amazon venture demonstrates how açaí-powered innovation keeps forests standing, one sip at a time.  

The Empreende Amazônia is the UNEP Restoration Factory edition that took place in the Brazilian Amazon. Discover more innovative businesses through the Restoration Factory  Program and learn about on how it is working to accelerate private investment in nature-based solutions by supporting investment-ready sustainable land-use businesses.