The power of acai with Amazon Power

We speak to Americo Tognetti, the founder of Amazon Power, about his love affair with the acai berry.

How did Amazon Power begin?

It was back in 2001 while on a business trip when I realised the distinct lack of acai and acai products in the Australian market. I saw the passion that Australians had for healthy living and found the land Down Under to be a perfect fit for the acai berry found in my home country of Brazil.

After three years of research and hard work, I finally introduced acai to the Australian market in 2004. Since then, I have been spreading the word throughout Australia and teaching Australians how to eat and prepare acai as the locals do in the streets of Brazil.
Amazon Power and our exclusive supplier together are the largest buyers of acai worldwide and, as a result, we’re able to ensure the highest quality acai.

What are some of the health benefits of the acai berry?

Reduces blood cholesterol level: The acai contains Oleic (Omega 9) — a monounsaturated essential fatty acid that helps to lower LDL (your bad cholesterol) while maintaining HDL (your good cholesterol).

Helps you look younger and live longer: With the highest concentration of antioxidants of any berry on the planet, acai helps reduce the signs of ageing and stress.

Purifies and detoxifies your body: The unsaturated fatty acids in acai eliminate the saturated fatty acids that make you feel tired and sluggish.

Helps you stay slim and healthy: Acai contains approximately 44.2 grams of fibre per 100 grams of the berry. Fibre helps prevent constipation, colon cancer and other intestinal disorders.

Contains anthocyanins: Acai contains anthocyanins that contribute to the deep colour to the fruit. Anthocyanins have many health benefits identified in several studies, such as their ability to help lower blood pressure and improve visual acuity.

Improves your power of concentration: Acai contains Linoleic (Omega 6) — a polyunsaturated essential fatty acid. Your body needs fatty acids for optimal function of the brain and eyes while helping your body absorb life-essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, E, D and K.

Your acai berries are manually harvested; why is this process important to you?

Amazon Power strives to protect the environment, which is why we only use acai that has been manually harvested, ensuring the protection of the palm trees that the fruit grows on.

The manual harvesting of the acai also provides hundreds of jobs for the Indigenous communities around Brazil and helps minimise the human trafficking and deforestation that these communities would otherwise partake in to make ends meet.

For those who are new to Amazon Power, what product would you recommend starting with and why?

You should pick whatever is most convenient for you. Our product range is made with organic premium acai. If you want a quick, healthy snack, buy the 1kg tub or the 200g tub to scope it out. If you want to blend your own acai bowl or smoothie with your favourite fruit, buy the 200g smoothie packs Original Acai or the 100g sachets of pure unsweetened acai pulp. For recipe ideas, visit amazonpower.com.au

You also offer complementary products, such as granola and pure pink pitaya; how do you select the other products in your range?

The granola is handmade, double-baked and totally vegan. It is made for acai bowls and yoghurt toppings. The spices bring out the acai flavour.

The pure pink pitaya is another super fruit that makes refreshing pink bowls and smoothies. They are a perfect complement to acai bowls, as you use the granola as a topping and you can blend the pink pitaya with acai.

What’s next for Amazon Power?

I want to create new products with high nutritional value that complement the current product range and continue to educate people in Australia about the Amazon rainforest’s fruit diversity and its richness.

For more information and delicious recipes visit amazonpower.com.au or search @amazonpower on social media.