First Experience with Sambazon in the Amazon

Written by Scott Koch, VP Operations

From LAX to Miami to Manaus (where’s that?) to Belem to our hotel in Macapa ….It took 22 hours to get to the mouth of the Amazon river…but WOW, it was worth it!!! During my 28 years of food manufacturing experience – which includes dairy, meat, and bakery - I figured that I had pretty much seen it all and worked with everything that it takes to make a food product: the various types of raw materials and ingredients, manufacturing plants, processes and systems, and employees. Boy, did I find something fresh and anew when I visited Sambazon’s Açaí processing plant at Santana, in the Amapa region of Brazil.

The facility and the equipment were state-of-the-art and clean as a whistle and the employees of the plant were focused and dedicated to their tasks…despite the high heat and humidity. Sambazon is dedicated to its employees – by providing clean uniforms and boots daily, three meals with the rest periods, transportation to and from work, and a doctor on site during work hours. The harvesters of the fruit were proud to be associated with Sambazon, and welcomed us into their homes. From the jungle to the plant to the port, it felt like a tight-knit family on a mission to make difference.

In a nutshell, Sambazon is making a difference with its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, in the middle of the Amazon jungle, processing the highest quality açaí products in the world, while supporting the sustainability of the Amazon Rainforest and offering the natives of the land an opportunity to earn a good living. WOW!!! All this from one company?!?! And I get to work for this company and support these initiatives?? Is my dream over?? I don’t think so…it’s just the beginning of Sambazon pioneering a new paradigm for food manufacturers to follow into the future…

Açaí!!

-Scott

"Acaaaaaaiiii...!"

Written by Mihoko Hakata, illustrator, fine artist, writer, and poet.

"Acaaaaaaiiii...!"
The magical word!

I met this wonderful Sambazon smoothie at a Mexican restaurant when we used to live on a sail boat in New York harbor. I was so excited to find this mysterious exotic name in the menu. They had the Sambazon brochure at the counter and I began learning about Sambazon and I’ve been eating it ever since!

Here is my simple tasty recipe for your smoothie:

Banana
water
pure acai frozen smoothie pack (no sugar added)
frozen peaches
frozen blueberries
frozen strawberries

Vary the amount of each ingredient as you like and the key is to put the banana first so that your blender will have an easy start.

Cherish this beautiful purple color... pour into your glass... icy tart freshness on your hot tongue, play with a little bit of sweet chunks, all the goodness into your throat, stomach, then spread into your whole body, even into your tiny veins.

Aaahh... the simple goodness of mother nature!


Acai lover mihoko ;D
Relax & Feel Good at
www.MihokoHakata.com

*My dear Jeremy Black asked me to illustrate acai berries for Sambazon a little while ago and here is one of the artworks with me inside! Yes, I love dancing and acai berries make me dance!!

Açaí Recovery

Dean Randazzo, New Jersey’s most successful professional surfer, was stricken with cancer in 2001. He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma and has been battling the disease ever since. This is what he wrote us yesterday.

Sambazon Açaí has helped me so much during my during my cancer treatments. Açaí is such a rich food source packed with anti-oxidants, protein, and other essential nutrients its basically a meal replacement. What was amazing for me was during my first stem cell transplant I was very sick and nauseated I couldn't eat barely anything. I sent my mom to the the store to get some Sambazon Açaí drinks, it was the only thing that I could keep down during that period of treatment. You are so extremely depleted from all of the treatments and lack of nutrition and food intake; the Sambazon Açaí drinks were vital to my nutrition while undergoing this treatment and also for recovery.

Going into this recent stem cell transplant I knew it was vital to have plenty of Sambazon Açaí drinks on hand during my hospital stay. I can't prove anything but my stem cells kicked in on day 10 and the average is 12-14 and my blood counts shot back up to normal ranges in a couple days! My doctors where asking what I was drinking because they would ask what I ate each day and I would say 4 Açaí drinks they then asked what that was and I told 'em and they said they were going to research it. I told them that they should and that it would benefit a lot of other patients.

If I had to pick one of the Sambazon drinks my favorite is the Strawberry Samba smoothie, but I like all of them. I really appreciate the support from Sambazon - many thanks.

- Dean