Really Playing for Pizza: Off to Amazonia

Not quite Heston... but this "BEN HUR" manages his boat just fine!

After 3 unforgettable days in Rio, we boarded a flight and made the trip north to "Amazonia." Our home base for the second week of the trip was to be Belem, a city of around a million people near the mouth of the Amazon River system. In fact, the city reminded me a little of Catania in the fact that it was similar size, sprawled over a large area, was located on the water, and had a Baroque feel. I knew my studying of European architecture would come in handy! Thanks George for all those lessons and churches!

Before visiting I had assumed there was just the one huge river - AMAZON - but I was drastically underestimating the size of the greater Amazon basin. The river itself, despite having a average width of 6 to 10km, splits into countless tributaries as it drains over 20% of the world's fresh water in the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Belem city on the arm of the Para River about 60 km from the Atlantic, but still is the main port on the Amazon and is nicknamed, "Gateway to the Amazon."

My first view of the river... kinda looked more like a lake to me!

Over the next week, we would be traveling all around the region of Para and through the city of Belem in our attempt to document the world of the Acai berry and other Superfruits used by Zola Acai in their juices and smoothies. Our first item of business was to hook up with Chris' original Acai supplier, and a man that needs no introduction, Ben-Hur Borges.

Ben-Hur -- a truly amazing individual.

Ben-Hur could be called the "Godfather" of the Acai business in Belem. As a forest engineer, he spent much of his youth hacking through the Amazon rainforests with a machete, documenting the countless flora and fauna. During that time he learned about the Acai Palm, which grows naturally in the rainforest. "I saw so much Acai," he told me, "I began to think to myself, this could be a good business." Yeah, now only a $100 Million dollar per year business in the U.S. He soon began planting Acai Palms on an island he acquired, and helped set up a co-op and processing facility. His company was one of the first to export Acai, as it must be hand harvested from the tops of the trees and carefully processed into a pulp.

Chris Cuvelier, president and co-founder of Zola Acai, looking quite calm as he cruises the river. After four days in Brazil, Chris was settling into a sort of "Acai-Zenlike" state of mind.

We boarded a small boat and made our way across the Para. The locals call this type of boat a "po-po-po" - which is exactly the sound its small gasoline engine made. 15 minutes later we were safely on Ben-Hur's island.

The vegetation was ridiculously lush... those colors are not enhanced. (Well, only a little.)

With Acai not currently in season or being processed, our main mission with Ben-Hur was to check out the social project that Chris had initiated with Ben-Hur. Christened PROJECT ZOLA, portions of every Acai drum sold go back to fund a school on the island, as well as the proceeds from the sale of Project Zola Acai-seed bracelets. Thanks to the thousands of bracelets sold (and many up in Canada to my former company Booster Juice), Project Zola has been able to essentially fund a complete school for over 100 children! They have no running water and barely electricity, but they manage due to the generous contributions from Zola customers and from the foresight of Chris & Ben-Hur.

A classroom in the Acaimu School. What an amazing place to learn!

Chris and Ben-Hur pose in front of the second school that is currently under construction. With a recent order for 10,000 more bracelets, Project Zola hopes to complete the school in the near future!

After an incredible time on the island, we headed back to Belem where Ben-Hur treated us to Acai the way the locals have it - PURO (pure.) This means there is no sweetener, which to the North American palette can taste rather bland. But once you add some sugar (or guarana) and some tapioca, only one word can describe it's taste: BELLAZA!