Action in Agriculture: NEW! RioLife Pure Dried Acai, Australia

"Açaí is one of my favourite things to eat in the world!" claims Kelly Slater, world champion surfer. From sports stars to specialists, many celebrities are now recognizing the positive effects of RioLife açaí. The açaí berry, pronounced AH-SIGH-EE has been heralded as "Natures Perfect Food" by the U.S Health Sciences Institute. Açaí is certainly a healthy option; the berries are grown in the Amazon rainforest and are packed with antioxidants. The people living in the Amazon region in Northern Brazil have consumed Açaí for thousands of years, and its healing and sustaining powers are legendary. In Belém, the colonial port at the mouth of the Amazon, about 200,000 litres are drunk every day — more than milk. All the juice bars that line the blocks near Ipanema and Copacabana do a roaring trade. In fact, açaí is more of a lifestyle option than a foodstuff. It is the magic potion that fuelled the hedonistic energy of Brazilian beach culture.

In Australia açaí has become readily available through RioLife (http://www.riolife.com.au), a Sydney based business founded by three young guys who have been friends since school days. The young entrepreneurs were travelling and working in Rio de Janeiro, California, and Singapore in 2005 when friends introduced them to what the young men call a Rio Bowl - liquefied açaí pulp and guarana syrup blended with banana and topped with granola and sliced bananas. They were instantly hooked and after seeing the amazing success of the product in both Rio and California, the trio decided to start their own company ‘RioLife’ and bring the açaí sensation to Australia.

RioLife Managing Director Jeremy Liddle said they first launched açaí at various juice bars and cafes on the Northern Beaches. “The main products were the famous Rio Bowl and Rio Juice, which were based on authentic Brazilian recipes. Now we’re very excited about this new pure dried açaí product,” said Jeremy Liddle. "This is the first 100% dried açaí product available in Australia, and we’re expecting it to appeal to a much broader market, and be available to more people as we can post out rather than worrying about frozen distribution" says Jeremy.

“RioLife has already launched our Pure Dried açaí in New Zealand, and nn 2008/2009 we are focusing on launching a whole range of açaí based products into health food stores across both NZ and Australia” stated Jeremy.

“It's RioLife’s goal to make açaí an essential lifestyle fruit for healthy living and sustainability, as every unit sold is contributing to the sustainability of the Brazilian rainforest. 1% of all retail sales of RioLife açaí products carrying the ‘Amazon Friendly’ logo will be sent back to the Amazon to pay for ‘Fruits of the Amazon’s’ social projects like the construction of a school. You will also see other products being released in both NZ and Australia carrying the ‘Amazon Friendly’ logo. The sustainably-managed açaí berry is now a perfect model of Triple Bottom Line success; economic, environmental, and social.” said Liddle.

RioLife’s Pure Dried açaí is now available online at http://www.riolife.com.au, through health food stores, and available for distribution.

For more information contact Jeremy Liddle on