Sambazon Launches New Product at Greenfest!

"Last weekend, we set up shop at San Francisco’s annual Green Festival of all things eco/organic/fairtrade and oh so good... For you and the environment, I mean. Sambazon is a veteran at the Green Festivals, we’ve been going for quite a few years now, but it always makes things more fun when you have something new to show people. This weekend we showcased for the first time Sambazon’s Antioxidant Elixir, all three flavors in their sleek and inviting recyclable bottles. This new product – light on the tongue, refreshing for the soul, rich in antioxidants and vitamin C (just in time for flu season!), made with Amazon superfruits açaí and acerola, and also coincidentally kind on the calories too... well, let’s just say it went over well!

Our team of three met thousands of people in fact, some old timers and brand loyalists, some new to the brand with curious questions – and we did our best to make sure everyone walked away from our booth with big purple smiles. From Whitney Houston’s BodyGuard soundtrack (I always make sure that the preshow setup involves an epic dance party) and the Brazilian beats we had going throughout the show, to the enourmous amounts of açaí, kombucha and amazing grass drinks we lived on throughout the weekend, and all of the world’s best açaí we were giving away... I think people caught on to the good vibes of enjoying every minute of life and treating yourself right by only putting the best stuff into your body. You can’t walk into a green festival and consume something or even touch something unhealthy – and it’s become clear to me that that is the type of world Sambazon wants to help create, the type of a world I’m so proud to be part of.

If you didn’t make it to this Greenfest, make sure to stop by our booth and say hi next year!"

-Written by Kaia Lai (West Coast Events Manager)

Sambazon Advocate & Vail Firefighter Ryan Sutter: Code 3 For A Cure Visits Vail

Code 3 for a cure is a nonprofit organization that aims to spread the understanding of firefighters’ heightened risk of cancer that naturally comes with the job and the need for early cancer screenings and appropriate medical attention. Last week, Code 3 and Lorenzo Abundiz, a cancer fighting 27-year veteran of the fire service, visited the Vail Firehouse on his national tour to spread these important messages. Sambazon friend and ambassador Ryan Sutter attended the event bringing cases of Sambazon açaí for the firefighters in attendance. This is his account of the event:

“Last week Lorenzo Abundiz walked into the Vail Fire House a day earlier than he was scheduled to arrive. He had driven his donated Type One fire engine from St. Louis to Vail as a part of a mission that would eventually take him over 16,000 miles across The United States and Canada. Afraid of encountering bad weather, Lorenzo had left early to ensure he would have the opportunity to spread his message of honor and hope. He arrived to little fan fair. Greeted only by the open arms of the Vail Fire Department, a cup of coffee from Westside Café and a generously donated room at the Vail Plaza Lodge, Lorenzo could not have been happier. He was alive.”

Read the full blog post at RyanSutter.com

Sambazon Participates at Walk for Hope!

"One of the most moving events I’ve been to: The City of Hope hospital’s annual Walk for Hope in Duarte took place yesterday and gathered 10,000 people together in solidarity pledging to cure breast cancer. The four lane street was filled with participants dressed in white and pink with pink ribbons buttoned to their shirts, hats, bags. Through the morning, it because clear that each participant either was walking for someone who has breast cancer, someone who died of the disease or was suffering themselves. From the tshirts that said, in memory of my wife, my mother, my sister... to “save the ta-tas”, the day was filled with a somewhat sad yet joyful and hopeful air. Even the CEO of the hospital came out to announce the hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations that they received this year toward the valiant effort they have put forth to cure Breast Cancer at their hospital. It was quite amazing to be able to hand out healthy, sustaining Sambazon juices to a crowd of such courageous and proud women and be able to support their movement."

- Written by Kaia Lai (West Coast Events Manager)

October is Fair Trade Month!

Did you know that along with being synonymous for breast cancer awareness month, October is Fair Trade month?

To celebrate we asked one of our founders, Travis Baumgardner, to write a quick summary of how Sambazon became Fair Trade certified!

“Fair Trade certification has been part of our company’s triple bottom line mission and overall values from the beginning. Our goal is to add value through our work to benefit the entire supply chain of Açai fruits, which not only includes environmental support, but also social and economic support to the families that own and manage the agro-forestry areas in the Amazon Rainforest where the fruit is harvested. Fair Trade certification identifies opportunities and measures progress socially and economically.

We remain the first and only source of Açaí to be certified Ecocert Fair Trade, providing sustainable employment for over 3,000 people and fostering environmental stewardship on over 1.7 million acres of biodiverse agro-forestry farms in Amapá and Pará States.

Fair Trade Certification supports all 3 pillars of Sambazon’s triple bottom line (economic-environmental-social) success. It guarantees that the agro-forestry farms and their families who supply Sambazon with Açai fruit are receiving a fair market price along with Sambazon funded technical support which will increase their family income and add value to their lives. By promoting triple bottom line success, the families and their work to promote bio diverse lands are proving the case for sustainable development in the Amazon Rainforest. Through Sambazon Açai, this is bringing long term development and improved living and financial freedoms to an impoverished region where clear cutting for lumber, soy and cattle are predominant.”

Thanks Travis! And Happy Fair Trade Month Everyone!

The Drifter is coming to a town near you!

Surf icon and Sambazon Ambassador Rob Machado is the central focus of acclaimed surf filmmaker Taylor Steele’s latest movie – Drifter. Steele captures Machado’s soulsearching journeys through the Indonesian islands. At the world premiere of the movie in Bali, Indonesia, at the Ombak International Surf Film Festival earlier this fall, it was chosen Best Film. And the Jakarta Post enlighted us further: "Capturing the journey of the surfer through a different land, culture and waves, The Drifter is a visual metaphor for a free spirit's conscious abandonment of the worldly traps of modern life as he searches for the inner freedom and spiritual joy offered by a life of renunciation."

Watch the trailer below, and check out Drifter in a town near you:
11/3/09 PORTLAND / Nike HQ
11/4/09 SAN DIEGO / La Paloma
11/5/09 LOS ANGELES / Montalban Theater
11/7/09 FLORIDA
11/9/09 NORTH CAROLINA / venue tba
11/11/09 VIRGINIA BEACH / venue tba
11/13/09 NEW YORK
11/15/09 SANTA BARBARA / Victoria Hall Theater
11/16/09 SAN FRANCISCO / Victoria Theater
11/17/09 SANTA CRUZ / Nickelodeon
11/18/09 SAN LUIS OBISPO
11/19/09 LAGUNA BEACH / South Coast Theater

Sambazon Marathon Sampling in the Windy City!

"I flew to Chicago with high expectations for the city and the marathon it was about to host. When I arrived I realized that the Chicago Marathon is one of the largest and most well known races in world. Over 10,000 athletes were confirmed and all were in attendance for the Health and Fitness Expo the two days prior, where they were able to sample some of our delicious Sambazon açaí. The Expo was filled with an air of excitement and anticipation for the day of the big race but amidst all the controlled excitement, Sambazon had a great presence and was a huge hit! Runners along with their family and friends were thrilled to have a refreshing healthy beverage among all the protein bars and snacks.

The opening day we shared a booth with the ever gracious team at Runners' World Magazine. Cory, Sambazon’s Chicago Sales Rep, held the fort down as he was continuously swamped with Sambazon fans scooping up samples and coupons from the booth. The second day of the show was even more jam packed with a steady flow of runners, many of whom had flown in from all over the country and the world. Throughout the two days we introduced açaí to thousands of people from so many different places and I came to realize that these events truly foster an incredibly collaborative and positive endurance community with a worldly passion for their sport.

We were happy to share our passion for Sambazon açaí and spread the great nutritional vibes before their long 26.2 mile victory!"

-Written by Pamela Kotsaftis (Northeast Market Manager)

8th Annual Tim Brown Invitational Golf Tournament

Today marked the 8th annual Dr. Tim Brown Invitational Golf Tournament - the day when everyone from eco celebrities and pro golfers to surfers and industry leaders get together for a day of playfully competitive golf for a good cause, and we too were stoked to be involved. In the past, the event has raised thousands of dollars for Surfing America and likeminded organizations that Dr. Brown personally chooses. This year, however, Dr. Brown picked TACA – Talk About Curing Autism. He stood up in front of everyone today and told us why curing autism is such an important subject, how over one in 125 children born will be autistic, and how this statistic is continuously becoming more severe. This is why the resources and support that TACA provides for families dealing with an autism diagnosis is so important.



The event garnered some great support for the cause, with faces like Pro Surfer and Sambazon Ambassador Rob Machado and 11 time PGA Tour Champion John Cook along with over 100 supporters and golf aficionados.



Dr. Tim Brown, wife Hillary and John Cook grab some breakfast açaí bowls from the Sambazon Tent.

All in all, the Sambazon crew was honored to be a part of the TBIGT, such a fun and beneficial tradition. We’ll be looking forward to it again next year!