Acai Berry, Learn About Acai Berries, and why it's called a Super Fruit! Acai Berry Information at your finger tips.

The acai bowl has become very popular among surfers who enjoy it after a long but rewarding session with the waves. Pro surfers Rob Machado, Pat O’Connell, Taylor Knox and Luke Egan highly recommend it, calling acai the greatest energy food ever. It is sold in various places in Brazil such as cafes and bars. It is also available in other places in the world. For example the "Fresh juice bar" on Kailua Oahu,Hawaii offers yummy acai bowls to the public.

Lanika Juice Bar

An article written by Yu Shing Ting from Midweek.Com was happy to inform readers that she had a new breakfast of choice — the acai bowl. Actually, she could have it for lunch or dinner too, and she believes "it’s a great before-workout treat". Yu Shing is not the only one hooked on açaí. Lost stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly and Dominic Monaghan have been spotted at Lanikai Juice for their daily acai bowls.

Açaí is an organic berry that grows wild in the Brazilian Amazon. Considered to be one of the top superfoods in the world, açaí is antioxidant rich and tastes like a blend of rich berries with a hint of chocolate.

Here's Yu Shing Ting story (June 2005): I was introduced to the acai bowl during a visit to my favorite smoothie shop, Lanikai Juice, three months ago. While waiting in line to place my order, I noticed all three customers before me had ordered something called an acai bowl.

I asked about it, and the customer in front of me answered for the person behind the counter, saying that it’s just wonderful and delicious and that I must try it. So, I ordered one, and now, that’s all I get from the popular Kailua juice bar.

At Lanikai Juice, acai can be ordered as a smoothie (a blend of Sambazon acai with guarana, strawberries, blueberries, banana and apple juice) or as a bowl (same as the smoothie but topped with organic granola and sliced bananas).

There’s also the Acai Traditional available as a smoothie or bowl (with double acai, banana and apple juice), and the Acai Extravaganza bowl (double açaí, banana, strawberries, apple juice, fresh berries and grated coconut).

“About three years ago, we started offering this acai as an antioxidant option,” says Pablo Gonzalez, owner of Lanikai Juice. “People tried it and they realized that the guarana inside makes this combination not only good for antioxidants, but also a great energizer. You can feel this energizing boost right away. Also, it tastes good, so all of this makes the açaí unique. “I can tell you that wheat grass is good for you, but it tastes no good. Acai is good for you and it tastes good. Little by little, people started talking about it, and now we have customers from different areas of the island who come for our acai.”

Many other local health food stores and juice bars also offer acai. Robeks offers the Acai Power Bowl (containing Sambazon Acai, blended with guarana), Awesome Acai and Acai Energizer smoothies (using Zola Acai as the natural base), on the go Zola Acai juice box, and Sambazon organic bottled smoothies.

“For many years the Brazilians made use of the acai like a fruit,” adds Gonzalez. “Until recently, it could only be found along the beaches of Brazil. But what happened is this company, Sambazon, has brought it to the U.S. and in return, they’re helping the whole economy there. They’ve hired many people, from picking the acai in the trees, to harvesting, to bringing it to the night market to sell to the companies.

“So when you buy acai, you’re keeping the cycle of the harvest going, and you’re bringing money back to the Amazon.”