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)