Feature: A Competitor’s First Ironman

With six months of training under his belt and along with a lifetime long competitive streak, Scott Nemeth, one of Sambazon’s own, embarked on a path few of us will ever race down. But to Scotty, that ominous word, the Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26 mile marathon), has always been inspiring, ever since he saw the race on TV as a little boy.

A Sambazon employee since the very early days, Scott has traveled to Brazil many times for work and pleasure. He even found the love of his life in a small town called Florianopolis. So it was no surprise when Scott registered for Ironman Brazil with the goal of giving back to a community and a country that has given him so much.

Scott is entirely a self trained triathlete, and although he has surfed his whole life, he only started swimming in an actual pool late last year. Initially, Scott started training for triathlons as a rehab tool – in his highschool and college football career, Scott managed to have one surgery on each knee, one on his right shoulder, and not one… not two, but four on his left. But, at the end of the day, he admits, “I wanted to see if the Ironman was really possible.”

After the first few months of light training, Scott raced in his first Olympic distance triathlon, and then embarked on a ridged online based training program from Multisports.com customized by heart rate, and a diet of organic, whole food. Throughout the day, he ate sometimes simple, sometimes elaborate creations that his wife, a natural foodie, would tailor to his fitness goals. Working in the natural food industry, Scott already had a healthy head start on the not-so nutritious bar eating and sugary sports drink chugging population.

Physically prepared for what lie ahead, Scott left the office nearly two weeks prior to his Ironman to work with Professional Trials Mountain Biker and Sambazon Ambassador Hans Rey’s Wheels4Life – a non-profit charity that provides free bicycles for people in need of transportation in developing countries.



In Florianopolis, Scott connected with the local triathlon federation and the local newspaper to select the individuals most in need of a bike. Many people selected were students in local schools that volunteered in the Ironman preparations and the rest were nominated by the local community. Thanks to sponsors Power Balance, Manitoba Harvest, Sambazon, Houston Bikes, Dr. Bronner’s, Coco Hydro, and Sol Raiz, Scott was able to donate 25 bikes to the local community and tell the story throughout Brazil and the US.

Skip forward to race day. Starting before the sun rose, Scott jumped in the water as ambitious as the 1600 competitors beside him. While it was nearly impossible for him to train with fellow triathletes, Scott soon learned that the comraderie each competitor had towards each other on race day was unfathomable. “The guy that finished first had the same amount of respect for the guy that finished last as the guy that finished last had for the guy that finished first. It’s an incredible community and that’s why people keep doing it,” says Scott.

Not satisfied with one Ironman, Scott already has goals of qualifying for Kona. Kona is to the Triathlon community as the World Cup is to soccer. The best of the best in the world compete all year just to reach a qualifying time that keeps getting faster and faster. To qualify, Scott will have to drop his race time by at least 2 hours, something he hopes to do within the next year or two.

Scott’s not worried, nor is anyone else. He’s going to make it, his competitive spirit and his drive for the greater good won’t let it be any other way.

For more information about Scott’s journey and his work with Wheels4Life, visit his Ironman blog or www.Wheels4Life.org.

Sambazon CEO Ryan Black Volunteers in Haiti

I had the privilege of spending a week of vacation last week volunteering in Port au Prince, Haiti. The trip was organized by a local church group of 14 people including me, some of the members which had made trips there before and after the devastating earthquake in January of this year. I personally felt compelled to go there in an effort to share some hard work, love and service to a country and people who need it terribly. Despite the overwhelming conditions (heat, poverty, water, medical, food, housing), the Haitian people’s happiness and energy reminded me of Brazil, one other country in the world where the energy and joy simply can’t be overcome by the poverty. This was uplifting and exciting.

While I was there, I ran into Sambazon Ambassador Jon Rose. To bring clean drinking water to school children in Kenya & Uganda, Jon’s father Jack Rose started raincatcher.org. Jon Rose then created Waves for Water to bring the solutions developed in Africa to the rest of the world, and most recently, Haiti. W4W is arming local people with water filters and buckets - a simple yet effective water purification system that makes any accessible water potable. Jon, Jack and all the remarkable people I met in Haiti truly revise the boundaries of what is possible.

I don’t have to tell any of you how truly blessed we are to have been born in country where most of the basic needs are not even a question. While my personal journey to Haiti last week was in the name of building a concrete wall and servicing the people down there, I knew that leading up to the trip that I would benefit much more from what they gave than what I could give them. Coming back to lovely San Clemente and reflecting on an intense week at a Haitian orphanage, I am quite sure of this. The video above is 10 minute slide show of the pictures that I took and the love that was shared with so many beautiful kids and hard working people.

-Ryan Black

Sambazon Fuels the Tempe Tri Participants!

For most of us, living in 98+ degree heat 8 months out of the year sounds unfathomable (or maybe that’s just me). Well, some Arizonians happen not to actually mind it, and at the Tempe Tri this past weekend, I saw 1600 athletes actually race in it!

The Tempe Tri is all about fun. Sure you’ve got your top finishers that collapse at the finish line from the sheer physical exhaustion that comes with pushing your body to the absolute limit, but you’ve also got your Santa Clause – the guy that raced in a Santa outfit just to stoke out the world as he jogged by shouting, “racing is fun!”. There’s also everyone in between, a 13 year old prodigy athlete, a mom and daughter team, an inspirational paraplegic who finished on a special bike and an entire community of mostly local participants racing just to race or to improve a personal best.

One thing we do know, is that regardless of age, athletic ability, or acclimatization to Tempe’s incredible heat, a half-frozen Sambazon açaí juice is the absolute best thing to grab after crossing that finish line. Congrats to all Tempe Tri athletes, thanks for letting Sambazon be your icy fresh recovery drink that hot Sunday morning!


Keep it Purple,
Kaia Lai - West Events Manager / SAMBAZON

Sambazon named in Outside Magazine's "Best Places to Work"

Sambazon was recently named to Outside magazine’s third annual “Best Places to Work” list. Sambazon was ranked No. 47 out of 50 selected companies. The full story was published in the May issue of Outside magazine, or you can click here to see the full list of companies to receive this honor.

Outside’s “Best Places to Work” list was compiled with the help of the Outdoor Industry Association and Best Companies Group. The year-long selection process began with an outreach effort that identified a wide range of non-profit and for-profit organizations with at least 15 employees working in the United States. Participating companies were then sent confidential employee-satisfaction surveys and employer-questionnaires to collect information about benefits, compensation, policies, job satisfaction, environmental initiatives, and community outreach programs. All of the results were analyzed by Best Companies Group experts, who selected the 50 companies that strive to enhance their employees’ enjoyment of active endeavors, and environmental and social involvement.

“Sambazon is honored and thrilled to be part of Outside magazine’s Best Places to Work. We strive to do good within the community, be as environmentally friendly as possible and to make our company a fun, exciting place for our employees to work,” said Ryan Black, CEO of Sambazon.

"These 50 companies come from a vast array of industries but they're all following the same enlightened path," said Michael Roberts, Executive Editor of Outside. "They're successful businesses in a challenging economy precisely because they support a proper work-life balance. They know that benefits like on-site gyms and fitness classes, reimbursements for ski passes and sports racing fees, and support for community service efforts during work hours make their employees happier and thus more productive."

We're very honored to be listed along side these companies and promise to continue to make strides to keep ourselves here!

Thanks for the support,
Sambazon

Defeat Autism Now (D.A.N.); The Yogi MD & Acai

Not long ago, a dear friend of Sambazon introduced us to Doctor Andrew Levinson, an incredible individual who’s made it his mission to help defeat autism by supercharging his medical practice with kindness, love and the heightened intuition acquired through over 15 years of intensive yogic practice.

As a fan of Sambazon Acai for both himself and his patients, Dr. Levinson graciously invited us to share a booth with him at the Baltimore Defeat Autism Now (D.A.N) Conference.

Let me start by saying, wow… what an eye-opening event… Did you know that 1 in 100 children in the US are now born with autism? And 1 in 60 boys, as the disease is disproportionate to the male gender. We also learned about the many parallels that lie between the incidence of autism and environmental toxins.

We were honored to have the opportunity to serve our products to such a committed and compassionate group and overjoyed to see how well they were received. Gluten and casein are two things in food that are generally considered no-nos for autistic kids; the texture of food is said to be a potential hurdle as well. Being gluten & casein free with a smooth and creamy texture made our Original Blend açaí sorbet and juices a real hit. We also learned that practitioners and parents are having a lot of success in simply stirring Sambazon’s Powerscoop (pure açaí powder) in with apple sauce- yum!

It was truly inspirational to spend time with our fellow D.A.N. attendees and a great reminder of how powerful a movement becomes when people work together to achieve a common goal.

Cheers to Dr. Levinson and The D.A.N. family!

Blessings,
Skanda

Sambazon On The Set of "Soul Surfer" the Story of Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton, pro surfer and Sambazon Ambassador, takes her inspiring life story to Hollywood in “Soul Surfer.” After an almost fatal shark bite, Bethany came back to the ocean and to surfing and is once again competing against the world’s best surfers. “Soul Surfer” is a tale of Bethany and how she uses her past to inspire people around the world.

Just recently halfway through filming, Bethany asked Sambazon, one of her favorite supporters, to come out to the set and help keep everybody energized and rejuvenated. Sambazon was on the set everyday and supplied smoothies, sorbet and açaí bowls to all that grew weary in the hot sun of the North Shore. Coolers were constantly refilled only to have actresses such as Helen Hunt asking how she could get more! Once people started feeling the uplifting benefits and tasting the delicious flavor of açaí, Sambazon became more than a “hit” on the set of Soul Surfer. There was always a helping hand whenever Sambazon rolled up, security guards would grip a drink in hand boasting “shakas” and big smiles.

Bethany often drinks açaí smoothies made with Sambazon Pure Açaí Smoothie Packs in the morning before starting her day, and the producers at Soul Surfer, not wanting to miss a beat, chose to incorporate this into their film. Bethany personally set this scene up for the directors and explained how her mom would whip up a couple of smoothies every morning before sending the kids off to school. To get the perfect shot, gallons and gallons of açaí smoothies were blended and drank by the actors and everyone else on the set. You could literally see people turning purple with açaí happiness!

We’re looking forward to an amazing and compelling film, so make sure to check out Soul Surfer in theatres this October!

Aloha,
Sam Custin (Sambazon Hawaii Brand Ambassador)

TED Conference- written by Jeremy Black, VP of Marketing, Sambazon

Thanks to our partners at Lexus Hybrid Living and Chef Akasha from Akasha Restaurant in Culver City, we had the opportunity to serve up our açai bowls and juices at the TED Conference last week. It was the first time I was able to attend this event which I'd heard really good things about so we were pretty excited to share some açai and meet some of the world's top change makers. Speakers included Bill Gates, James Cameron, Philip Howard and many more. Click here to see a recap of the event and I highly recommend you take a few minutes and watch Bill Gates' talk, everyone needs to be aware of this and be part of the solution.

The Lexus Hybrid Living Lounge was extremely well done and drew a sophisticated crowd. Al Gore walked up and wanted to know what was the deal with the purple stuff in the cup with the granola everyone was eating. So I got a chance to tell him a little about our company and products, as well as thank him for all the hard work he's been doing creating awareness for the Global Warming issue. Thanks again Al, you're making a big difference using your influence to create awareness and instigate change. Another highlight was Maggie Grace stopping by for a Rio bowl, she told me she first had our açai at Lanikai Juice in Hawaii when she was filming Lost. I had heard the whole cast made açai bowls a daily ritual and she confirmed that. Now living in LA she keeps our açai in her diet using our Pure Packs in her daily smoothie.

TED is all about good ideas, “what the world needs to know”, and brings some of the smartest thinkers in the world to share their solutions. And while at times it can be a little overwhelming when you hear about all the problems we are facing, it's good to know that there are passionate people who are working hard to solve them. I want to encourage everyone to find a way that you can become part of the solution, and if you're ready to start now and looking for some simple things you can do here are some easy ones:

1- Change out your light bulbs to CFLs or other Energy Star rated bulbs
2- bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store
3- Buy organic- for you, for the planet
4- Eat less (or no) meat (watch Food Inc)
5- and most importantly, vote with your dollars by buying from companies that you know are working to be a part of the solution as well.

Thanks and bless,
Jeremy

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

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

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!

Super Acai Benefits by The Medicine Hunter

As featured on Fox News Health Blog:

The first time I ever tried acai (pron: ah-sah-yee) in 1997, the fruit was served to me as a thick drink by an Ipixunaindian woman, when I was living on the Amazon river for a month. Acai, Euterpeoleracea, was as deep purple as any food I had ever seen. In fact, a spill stained a favorite t-shirt of mine forever. I loved the rich flavor of acai, and the energy it imparted, and consumed as much as I could during the course of my time on the river. When I left Brazil that time, I lamented that I’d probably never be able to obtain acai back home. Times have changed, and this delicious fruit is now widely available, from Whole Foods to up-market grocery stores.

A so-called “super-berry” that grows on palms trees in the Amazon, acai is a staple food throughout Amazonia, and that status owes directly to its marvelous flavor. Acai explodes with flavor, and gets better with every mouthful. Rich in the potent purple pigments called anthocyanins, acai has a higher antioxidant activity rating than bilberries or blueberries, and is rich in beneficial dietary fibers. A glass of blended acai fruit, with just a slight touch of energizing guarana and certified organic sugar, imparts so much energy, you’ll want to dance and yodel while climbing a mountain at the same time. No wonder endurance cyclists and ball players have taken to this fruit. Surfers, skateboarders, X-gamers and outdoor enthusiasts speak of acai with reverence.

The berry craze is on full throttle now, and purveyors of each berry, from blueberries to blackberries, black currants and elderberries, have positioned their berry as the ultimate. All of these berries are rich in the purple antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins, and all impart both antioxidant protection to cells, and anti-inflammatory activity as well. As far as I am concerned, they are all extraordinary foods, and are valuable in any person’s diet. I just happen to favor acai most of all, because I love the flavor and the fact that the acai trade is helping to reduce deforestation in some parts of the Amazon.

Forest Preservation – Fast-forward years later, once more in the Brazilian rainforest, this time in the company of Ryan Black, founder of Sambazon Acai. We are watching several hard-working Brazilians climb tall acai palms rapidly, cut branches laden with ripe purple acai berries, and strip the berries into baskets, readying them for processing. “Our wildharvesting system was developed in conjunction with the Forest Sustainability Council,” Ryan explains. “We’ve taught people how to wildharvest acai, and protect the forest at the same time.” Through ecologically sound agro-forestry management practices, Sambazon has established a top-notch conservation program that protects the Amazon rainforest and minimizes habitat loss. On top of that, they’ve implemented a fair wage system that provides higher than average wages to over ten thousand families in Brazil’s Amapa state. Sambazon has won praise and support from World Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and Greenpeace. As far as Ryan is concerned, it’s all just a reasonable and fair way to operate a business. “Might as well do it right if you’re going to do it,” he comments.

Harvested from August through December in the hot, humid Amazon rainforest, acai is a high labor fruit. I watch the remarkable climbing skills of the harvesters, and realize with some sadness that I could never climb trees like that, let alone do it every day.

Traditional acai- We are invited into a large wooden house with open windows and about a dozen children crowding around us, to watch a woman prepare acai the traditional way. In this house, the preparation is all performed by hand. The woman hand grinds the berries through fiber mats, until the juice and fine pulp drip into a container underneath. After laboring on our behalf for more than half an hour, she serves us acai. Several of us spoon the rich berry preparation into our mouths, and laugh at our good fortune until tears form in our eyes. “Now this is how to eat acai,” Ryan declares. Truth is, unless you make a pilgrimage to the Brazilian Amazon, your best acai bet will be freezer packs or smoothies found in natural food stores.

Acai diets– Just a quick word about the acai diets that everybody has been spammed over. Useless. Acai is not a diet miracle. It is a wonderful, amazing-tasting, highly beneficial fruit that gives you energy and makes you feel good. But don’t be bilked by companies that want you to believe it’s the key to slimming. It isn’t.

There’s really no need to try to make something more than it is. In the case of acai, this is a superior, nutrient-rich fruit with tremendous antioxidant value. It offers great flavor, and makes you feel good. The harvesting of acai provides a living to a lot of people, and helps to preserve some of the Amazon rainforest. In my mind, that’s more than enough.

Chris Kilham is a medicine hunter who researches natural remedies all over the world, from the Amazon to Siberia. He teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is Explorer In Residence. Chris advises herbal, cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies and is a regular guest on radio and TV programs worldwide. His field research is largely sponsored by Naturex of Avignon, France. Read more at www.MedicineHunter.com

Sambazon's Bob Burnquist Represents at X Games 15

Sambazon teamrider and ambassador Bob Burnquist continued to push the limits of skateboarding last night at Summer X games with an almost perfect score of 94.00 - which tied the best run by gold medalist Jake Brown. Unfortunately, they didn't do a skate off between Bob and Jake, which we were all rooting for. But regardless, Bob walked away with a respectable silver medal after awing all his fans with the insane new stuff he was pulling on the mega ramp including a switch stance drop in.


Tonight Bob's competing in a new event called the Mega Rail Jam broadcast at 5pm PST- and on Saturday he'll be at the Vert Ramp broadcast at 6:30pm. So tune in and watch him skate on the world stage while fueling up on Sambazon Açaí!

Check out the photos and videos below for a recap of last night's Mega Ramp competition:

Santa Barbara Surfers Paddle For A Cause

On May 12, two Santa Barbara surfers fueled by Sambazon Açaí, Nole Cossart and Chadd Konig, set out on a formidable journey to paddle from Gaviota (just north of Santa Barbara) to the Mexico boarder. Their journey, was crafted to raise awareness to the threat development poses to Gaviota – one of the remaining undeveloped and untainted coastlines left in California.

Traveling on paddleboards loaded with food, water, clothing, surfboards and camping gear, Nole and Chadd clocked an average of 15-20 miles per day – and by June 7th, after 300 miles and 28 days on the water) they triumphantly reached their destination at the US-Mexico Boarder.





Here is a sneak peak into Chadd’s journal from the voyage:

5/12/09
Laying upon grassy knoll. Bug just landed on the page. Sun going down behind hill. Wind blowing offshore. Paddle boards tucked away in bushes. This morning we departed from Gaviota now we will sleep at R-Beach. A few seals tagged along a wee bit. Dolphins greeted us at R-Beach. Throughout the day I got to rest me eyes open space and life. Now me belly full, warm clothes on, tarp laid out-sleeping bag as well! Make shift pillow. Water, Knife and thoughts of far off hills. Paddles were plenty today. Sun has lowered behind hills yet still lights the sands. A mushroom shaped piece of wood. Driftwood all over. Silhouettes. Warm hat on me head. Ocean sounds in me ears-will be there all night. Consistent-count on it. Wind is light at moment-cooling me sun warmed face. We arrived today at a beach of smiling folks. Laughs abundant and not a word shared. Eye contact and acknowledgement. Respect and shared space. Island outline. Birds in flight-yes the night! Sand still moving with water and light. Seaweed keeps some of the water glassy. Thank you day.

5/13/09
Woke wet with the sea. On wet grass. Step out of sleeping bag-wet yet warm. Collect all belongings and stuff the dry bag strategically. A wee dog begins barking at me. The ocean is moving in the direction we wish to travel. Southbound. The ocean carries us gently for the first few miles, then wind shifts and blows right as us. Bouncing us. Slowing us. Decide to head inside the kelp in hopes of calmer seas. As I navigated and clawed through the kelp I peeked over at the beach. An invited sight indeed. Dry, warm, rock formation providing a potential home. Turned board to land and beached. Immediately clothed meself, opened food bag and had at some fruit and nuts. Climb on the rocks for a bit-have a short vision a day on this hidden beach, yet decide to head south into the wind. Back in water, dolphins arrive immediately. Seal joins too. Sharing their home. I reach Leadbetter Point and the wind ceases. I look across-Hammonds Reef in sight. I pass the mile out buoy where seals bask in the sun and make seal songs. Next to the buoy are the seals who did not make the seal "buoy cut" or opted to stay in the water. They reach their flippers for the sky. One seal is persistent. Again and again propels itself onto the buoy...falls back, yelps and shamelessly splashes. Dives under, builds speed and has at it again. As I was about out of sight the seal succeeds. Positioned and ready for sun basking. Other seals snap at each other. Then I make a seal noise and they pause. Calm for a moment. Continue paddling and they continue their buoy party. As I pass a large fishing vessel three of the crew look out in my direction. One man, seems to be captain, has a hollar at me. Inquires bout my direction, "Where you headed?" I paddle closer and answer, "That beach over there-then south to the border." He smiles, looks at his crew and offers all his goods. A place to rest, food, beer, cigarette? I thank him and wish them a good day. They all wish me luck. Arrive at Hammonds-greeted again by dolphins. Unload and fill me belly.

For a complete summary of the voyage check out part 1, part II and part III.

Dear & Yonder Summer Tour

We’ve been waiting for the premiere of Dear & Yonder all year! A surf movie created by Tiffany Campbell and Andria Lessler, Dear & Yonder is an epic ocean odyssey of the female kind. The summer screening tour starts in Cocoa Beach, FL this month, then travels to the West Coast and around the world. Hope to see you at one of the showings!





Full Tour Schedule:

CITY: Cocoa Beach, FL
LOCATION: Ron Jon Surf Shop (4151 N Atlantic Ave)
DATE & TIME: Friday, June 19th at 8pm
DETAILS: Part of the Roxy Design-A-Bikini promo starting at 5pm. Lots of fun activities and giveaways…all FREE!

CITY: San Clemente, CA
LOCATION: El Mariachi Restaurant (1925 S El Camino Real)
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, June 23rd at 8pm
DETAILS: Buy dinner and join the NSSA groms and Roxy team surfers for a casual movie night and free giveaways

CITY: Galveston, TX
LOCATION: Saengerfest Park (22nd & Strand)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, June 27th at 8:30pm
DETAILS: Bring your beach chairs and blankets and join Roxy team surfer Kassia Meador for this free outdoor premier and Roxy giveaways.

CITY: Encinitas, CA
LOCATION: La Paloma Theatre (471 S Coast Hwy 101)
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 2nd at 7pm
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers Lisa Andersen, Kassia Meador, Sofia Mulanovich and Sally Fitzgibbons for the official Southern California premier and Roxy giveaways. $5 ticket at the door.

CITY: Honolulu, HI
LOCATION: Doris Duke Theater (900 S Beretania St)
DATE & TIME: July 23rd & 24th (times TBA)
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers for the Surf Film Festival at the Doris Duke Theater

CITY: Biarritz, France
LOCATION: St Eugénie in Biarritz during the Roxy Jam Biarritz
DATE & TIME: Saturday, July 11th at 10pm
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers for the Roxy Jam Biarritz surf festival

CITY: Venice, CA
LOCATION: TBA
DATE & TIME: Friday, July 17th
DETAILS: TBA

CITY: Ventura, CA
LOCATION: TBA
DATE & TIME: TBA
DETAILS: TBA

CITY: Grand Haven, MI
LOCATION: Grand Haven City Beach
DATE & TIME: Saturday, July 18th at dusk (around 9:30pm)
DETAILS: Bring your beach chairs and blankets and join Roxy team surfer and former World Champion Sofia Mulanovich for this FREE outdoor premier, great music and Roxy giveaways.

CITY: Hampton Beach, NH
LOCATION: Ashworth by the Sea in the Sandbar (295 Ocean Blvd)
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, July 28th at 8:30pm
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfer Kassia Meador for this free outdoor movie premier and Roxy giveaways

CITY: Brooklyn, NY
DATE: Thursday, July 30th
DETAILS: Art show and movie premier with Roxy and Paper Magazine. Invite Only

CITY: Olympia, WA
LOCATION: Capitol Theater (206 5th Ave SE)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, August 1st at 7pm
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfer Kassia Meador for the Washington premier and Roxy giveaways. $5 ticket at the door.

CITY: Portland, OR
LOCATION: TBA
DATE & TIME: Tuesday, August 4th (time TBA)
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfer Kassia Meador for the Oregon premier and Roxy giveaways.

CITY: Vancouver, Canada
LOCATION: Grace Gallery (1898 Main Street at 3rd)
DATE & TIME: Thursday, August 6th at 8pm
DETAILS: Art show and movie premier

CITY: San Francisco, CA
LOCATION: Potrero Del Sol Skate Park (25th & Utah)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, August 8th (time TBA)
DETAILS: Art show & movie premier

CITY: Avalon, NJ
LOCATION: Avalon Community Hall (3001 Avalon Ave)
DATE & TIME: Thursday, August 13th at 7pm
DETAILS: Proceeds from this event will benefit Brendan’s Fund, a pediatric cancer fund. For more details visit www.brendansfund.org

CITY: Hermosa Beach, CA
LOCATION: Saint Rocke (142 S Pacific Coast Hwy)
DATE & TIME: Friday, August 14th at 8pm (doors open at 5pm)
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers for FREE Roxy giveaways, a movie premier and great music. Visit www.saintrocke.com for tickets

CITY: Santa Cruz, CA
LOCATION: Pie Ranch (2080 Cabrillo Hwy)
DATE & TIME: Friday, August 14th (time TBA)
DETAILS: TBA

CITY: San Clemente, CA
LOCATION: Surfing Heritage Foundation (110 Calle Iglesia)
DATE & TIME: Friday, August 21st at dusk
DETAILS: For details & tickets visit www.surfingheritage.org

CITY: Wilmington, NC
LOCATION: Lumina Theater on UNCW campus (601 S College Rd)
DATE & TIME: Wednesday, August 26th at 7pm
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers for a FREE movie premier and Roxy giveaways

CITY: Virginia Beach, VA
LOCATION: Waterman’s Surfside Grille (415 Atlantic Ave)
DATE & TIME: Thursday, August 27th at 8pm
DETAILS: Bring your beach chairs and blankets and join Roxy team surfers and ECSC groms for a FREE outdoor movie premier and Roxy giveaways

CITY: Oceanside, CA
LOCATION: Swiv Tackle Circus (530 S Coast Hwy)
DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 19th (time TBA)
DETAILS: Join Roxy team surfers and the Keep-A-Breast Foundation for an art show and movie premier

Rest in Peace, Hélio Gracie 1913 - 2009

Written by Travis Baumgardner, Sustainability Officer

Hélio Gracie passed away today peacefully in his home in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro at the full age of 95. He leaves behind his wife and 9 sons.

He was a living martial arts legend who pioneered together with his brother Carlson, the special Brazilian style of Jiu-Jitsu. He gained worldwide fame and recognition for developing a unique fighting style which allowed him to defeat opponents almost twice his size with relative ease, despite being mostly vegetarian and only weighing around 140 lbs during his professional fighting career.

Hélio also spent his entire life dedicated to promoting his family’s healthy lifestyle through sport and the Gracie diet, which had açaí as one its main superfood staples. The diet is based on three concepts, not poisoning the body, taking care of the body and respecting in one meal the adequate chemical combinations of different types of food. Food is viewed instead as a remedy that can nourish and cure the body.

Though many know very well Helio’s Jiu-Jitsu legacy, many do not know that Hélio was a native Amazonian, a “Paraense”, raised in the heart of the world’s açaí epicenter. His cultural upbringing consisted of eating açaí every day together with rice, beans and fish.

Many credit the brothers Helio and Carlos for bringing açaí outside of the Amazon to southern metropolitan regions of Brasil like Rio de Janeiro. At fourteen his family moved to Rio de Janeiro and subsequently created the açaí bowl and diffused the healthy eating habit throughout the Jiu-Jitsu community. The Gracie family’s Açaí Bowl is the same thick smoothie like frozen mixture made of açaí puree, Guarana Syrup, Banana and Granola that we all have come to love today and which first became popular in juice bars of Rio de Janeiro.

God bless you Hélio for bringing us açaí and inspiring us to live better and healthier lifestyles!

Reflections of Olympic Gold

Written by Reid Priddy, Team USA + Team Sambazon

My name is Reid and I am a Sambazon Açaí fanatic! My Açaí story started in 2005 when I was introduced to it by my best friend's wife. It didn't take long before I had Juice It Up's number on speed dial. Açaí bowls became a staple in my diet and a perfect snack both before and after training, as well as for breakfast or a mid-day snack. I started taking nutrition and diet more seriously in 2007. Up to that
point, we were all under the impression that we just needed calories no matter what kind. I found myself playing at a high level through half of the tournaments but tapering off at the end of events. Once I discovered that choosing the right calories and foods was just as important as maintaining the number of calories, my energy levels sustained through entire tournaments.

This summer was a huge testament to that idea. We began with the World League tournament which is an 8 week long tournament. The tournament has 4 pools of 4 and each team plays the other 3 teams home and away through 6 weeks of pool play. Our pool consisted of Bulgaria, Finland, and Spain. That meant that each week we were traveling between different cities in America to cities abroad in Bulgaria, Finland and Spain. Not only that but we needed to be in top shape and form throughout the entire 6 weeks. Fortunately we made it out of our pool in first place and on to the World League Finals in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

With diet being such a huge key to success and energy within Athletics it becomes very frustrated with all the travel. When in Helsinki, Finland, we don't have too much control over what we have as options to eat. It becomes crucial to be able to pack certain "go-to's" to safeguard against bad food. There is too much on the line to not be prepared in this way.

Between the pool play and the Finals I hooked up with Scott Nemeth at Sambazon and he prepared two coolers full of product to ship down with us. It was a huge hit amongst the team! We dropped our first match, reevaluated and came back to win the entire tournament! It was so much fun. After that first loss our captain berated us about
not playing as a team. That is a concept that our head coach Hugh McCuteon has been preaching since he became the head coach. The concept that the whole is greater than the parts. To sacrifice personal agendas for the good of the group. I think that loss had a huge effect on what would take place both over the remainder of that tournament and into the Olympic Games in Beijing.

The United States has never won a World League title, so winning it this year really helped build momentum leading into the games. It is no secret that our team had to endure some serious obstacles, but the foundation that we had and the strength within the group helped us weather the storm, rely on each other and do what we know how to do best...compete as a team. As we were taking care of business on the court, the off the court rest, recovery and diet was a major focus for me. Beijing was no exception to the rule in terms of "wild-card food". It was equally important to have the go-to snacks. This time it was in the form of Sambazon Açaí powder! Life saver!

The Olympic Games were an amazing experience. Throughout my life I have often thought about what I would do if I won a Gold Medal. However, when that last ball was put away and the match ended, it was such an overwhelming emotion that I could do nothing but collapse on my teammates. One of the most special things for me was the camaraderie that we all shared. We had failed together and now we succeeded together. We bought into the TEAM concept and were now Champions because of it. I will never forget this experience, not just for the win but for all the life lessons I learned along the way. In our gym we talk a lot about PROCESS. Each practice, each match being a part of a process of trying to become master's of our craft. Now being on this side of this experience, I ponder what it would look like to apply these themes to other aspects of life. On to another journey by way of another process.

All the best,
Reid

Bob Burnquist wins Gold at X!

Congrats to Bob Burnqusist who wins Gold at X-Games 2008 Mega Ramp

Bob goes head to head with the best on the monster of all skate ramps, the "Mega Ramp."

Sambazon Acai Smoothie by Sal Masekela of ESPN (XGAMES '08)

ESPN announcer and Sambazon Fan Sal Masekela shows us how he mixes up his Sambazon Açaí smoothie.

#7 Bottles, BPA, Recycling and the Man

Written by Jeremy Black, VP of Marketing

In the last week there's been a lot of press about a chemical found in some plastics called BPA (Bisphenol A). This chemical has been found to contribute to hormone disruption and a host of other things. It's commonly found in Nalgene Sport bottles and some other hard plastic bottles (like baby bottles so check yours out). It's a good thing they are bringing this to light and hopefully they'll do the same with other things like all the artificial sweeteners people are drinking in diet drinks these days!

But there's a lot of confusion about what products have BPA and what don't and to our horror there was a so-called "expert" on the Today Show who said "Avoid all #7 bottles"... well, that really sucks, because our bottles have a #7 on them and DO NOT contain any BPA.

The #2, #6, #7 symbols you find on the bottom of bottles is very antiquated like many other government systems. Our #7 bottles are so state of the art (containing a special barrier that helps preserve freshness) that they don't have a way to classify them, so they get a #7.

Same goes with Recycling, many people believe that #7 bottles cannot be
recycled and that's not always true. If you notice on our bottle we've now got a "#2 compatible" stamp on them- this is something we had to petition and pay the manufacturer to start printing for us so people understand that they can and should be recycled like any other #2 bottle.

It's crazy what an irresponsible statement made by a so-called "expert" can do to a young company like ours trying to promote healthy organic products. You'd think the guy might be working for THE MAN. In the last week we've gotten tons of email and phone calls from concerned customers, one who actually threw the bottles in the trash and wanted a refund! After this simple explanation, everyone is very happy to hear we don't have BPA in our products and they can continue to enjoy Sambazon Açaí Products. So please help us out here, pass it on that Sambazon bottles are 100% Safe, 100% Recyclable, and 100% Delicious.

Blessings Always-

Jeremy Black
Sambazon