THE AMAZON’S SUPERFRUIT
WITH THE POWER TO SAVE OR BREAK THE RAINFOREST
Jeova de Jesus Pena Pantoja and his family rely almost entirely on açaí harvesting. Living on land owned by a rancher, they must give her half of their harvest as payment. From the remaining açaí, Jeova covers plantation maintenance, land clearing, and wages for his brother-in-law, João Neto Talino Vieira, who helps with the work. What’s left is not enough to sustain the family, forcing Jeova to take on temporary jobs to make ends meet.
Marajó Island, Pará, Brazil
LEFT: Jeová and his family share dinner. When açaí prices are low, they allow themselves to enjoy it; otherwise, they sell every berry to make ends meet. RIGHT: Jeová’s daughters work on their school homework.
Jeova de Jesus carries baskets full of açaí berries to the riverside.
LEFT: Baskets filled with açaí, ready for transport to the mainland, where the fruit will enter the supply chain. RIGHT: A basket of white açaí, a rare albino variety. Produced in minimal quantities, it is seldom commercialized, making it a hidden gem of the Amazon.
The berries are sold to transporters who ferry them to the mainland, where they enter the broader market. Throughout the supply chain, all transactions are done in cash.
Once harvested on the islands, açaí berries have just 48 hours to reach their destination port before they begin to decompose and lose their nutritional properties—a race against time in the Amazon supply chain.
The global demand for açaí is reshaping the Amazon rainforest's future. Exports have more than doubled in the last four years. Industry experts say this is just the beginning as new markets open up worldwide.
The berry can be extracted from trees without slashing and burning trees, unlike beef and soy, and has pulled thousands of families out of extreme poverty. The riverside floodplains in Marajó Island, where 90% of the açaí harvest is still produced, are still largely preserved.
But the tide is turning. Demand is pushing production to its brink, causing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Eyeing profits from the Amazon’s “purple gold,” bigger players are now planting the açaí palm on dry land, creating the region’s first açaí monocultures.
For decades, it wasn’t thought possible. But with government-funded genetic improvement research paired with agrotoxins, irrigation, and fertilizers, dry land production now accounts for 10% of açaí — a 625% increase over the last 12 years — and is projected to reach a quarter by 2030.
A divorce between açaí and its traditional family-run sustainable production could push the Amazon rainforest closer to an ecosystem collapse unless something is done.
A cluster of deep purple açaí berries hangs from the palm, just before harvest. Once picked, the fruit is carefully separated, beginning its journey from the Amazon rainforest to tables around the world.
Jeova de Jesus Pena Pantoja descends from an açaí palm with clusters of açaí.
The boat faces a four-hour journey to the Ver-o-Peso açaí market in the port of Belém. To get there, it must navigate the treacherous waters of Marajó Bay, where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic.
Workers unload an sell açaí at the açaí street market in Belém
Night at the açaí street market in Belém
Açaí street market in the port of Belém. Boats from all over the nearby islands come here with the tide and spend the night selling açaí both to exporting processing facilities and local restaurants of all sizes.
The Ver-o-Peso açaí market comes alive at night, as boats from across Marajó Island wait for the rising tide to make their journey to Belém and other ports. Their cargo—freshly harvested açaí berries—must reach buyers before time runs out.
At the açaí street market in the port of Belém, boats from nearby islands arrive with the tide, transforming the docks into a bustling trade hub. Throughout the night, sellers supply both export processing facilities and local restaurants, ensuring açaí reaches tables across Brazil and beyond.
Açaí monoculture vs. rainforest in Pará.
Açaí monocrop seen from the air while workers harvest the berries.
LEFT: Açaí seedlings, nearly ready for planting, mark the beginning of a new harvest cycle. RIGHT: Workers use metal combs to carefully separate açaí berries from their clusters, preparing them for processing and sale.
The new açaí seeds were developed at a Brazilian government research facility in Belém, a city that also houses major processing factories where the berries are transformed into pulp for distribution.
Researcher Maria de Socorro Padilha focuses on developing smaller açaí fruits with more pulp and a smaller seed, optimizing yield and quality for both producers and consumers.
Under the guidance of Maria de Socorro Padilha, agriculture students at EMBRAPA analyze an açaí branch, measuring its fruit yield and comparing it with other palm species in their field tests. Their research helps improve açaí productivity and quality.
After being in warm water and then pasteurized, the berries are mixed and pulp is extracted by adding water and creating friction between them.
Packed açaí pulp ready to be frozen and sent to the market.
Nazareno Alves is the owner of Point do açaí, a restaurant chain who serves traditional food from Pará accompanied with açaí. He claims açaí is addicting like a drug and he can’t live without it, everything he has has the color of the açaí pulp, even his truck.
Marco Padilha and Anami Guerra eat açaí with lunch at Point do Açaí restaurant, in Belém. Nazareno Alves is the owner of Point do açaí, a restaurant chain who serves traditional food from Pará and açaí. He claims açaí is addicting like a drug and he can’t live without it.