Bethany Hamilton's Sambazon Breakfast Smoothie

Pro Surfer and Sambazon Team Rider Bethany Hamilton shows us how she makes her Sambazon Açaí smoothie every morning.

Worlds Collide, Sambazon Style

Written by Jill Ettinger, Eastern U.S. Promotions Manager

One of my favorite things is seeing people enjoying themselves. I see that a lot working in the marketing department at Sambazon. Whether it's at a store demo or a big festival with thousands of people, that first-taste-of-acai-smile never loses its power. One of my other favorite things is music - and the way it can put us in such a mood that we have to move our bodies. It's ever so wonderful when these two worlds collide.

As I climbed up to the Great Hill in Central Park last Saturday I could hear the music trickling over the steps as I got closer. Then the crowd appeared spread out on the grass, anxiously waiting for an afternoon they'd not soon forget. This was the 6th annual Festivus, hosted by Electronic Music Umbrella (emu.org) - a non-profit organization committed to bringing electronic dance music to hungry ears - and hips - free of charge.

July in New York City can be unbearably humid, but this Saturday afternoon was about as perfect as they come. The dj’s felt it and so did the crowd of several thousand. Everyone began to move in harmony, a pulsing energy spread through the park and suddenly, my eyes began to notice, everywhere I looked: bottle after bottle of Sambazon.

We donated several hundred bottles for the event along with some other vendors, but all I could see were purple and green bottles on blankets, sticking out of pockets, in hands, being lifted up towards anxious mouths.

I began approaching people who weren’t out dancing and asking them if they knew what they were drinking, many were Sambazon supporters, but a surprising number of people were “first-timers” getting a taste of the magical purple berry in this surreal environment as ambient rhythms mingled with nature. It made me think of what it must be like deep in the Amazon, where the harmonious sounds of birds and critters mingle with the rich scents of the forest as fresh acai is harvested.

It felt like a completed circle - the smiles that surrounded me mirroring the smiles of our happy family in Brazil that keep sharing this incredible superfood with us, and the mission of EMU to also share a gift of another kind with happy dancers. I smiled as I thought of how we get to keep doing this again and again...and again. Then, I started to dance.

-Jill

Bob Burnquist Autograph Signing at Whole Foods Market Cedar Center Ohio

Stop by for free Sambazon samples, an autographed poster, and enter to win a month supply of Sambazon Açaí!

See Bob Burnquist at:

Whole Foods Market
Cedar Center
13998 Cedar Road
University heights, OH 44118

July 20, 2008 from 1:30- 3pm

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