Acai berry is a small grape like berry that grows in the swamps of the Amazon forest. It is purplish in color and grows on palm like trees that are anything between 15 and 30 meters in height. Twice a year the acai trees are full of acai berries and are regularly harvested. The seed of the berries constitute almost 90% of its body mass, and only 10% of it is the pulp and the skin. It is in this pulp that all the nutrients of the acai berry reside.

Originally, the acai berries were confined to the regions where they grew. However, the natives, aware of their health benefits, have made acai berries a part of their regular diet for years. In northern brazil, the pulp of the acai berries is served in gourds and is mixed with sugar or honey and served sweet. In some regions, it may be mixed with salt and served salty. In southern Brazil, the acai berry pulp is mixed with granola and served cold.

In recent years, the variety of health benefits of acai berries has been discovered by the western world and there is a huge demand for the availability of the berry. However, acai berries only grow in tropical conditions and it is impossible to grow them in any place other than swampland. Added to this is the fact that the shelf life of the acai berries is very little, not more than twenty four hours. This makes it important to harvest acai berries locally and transport them overnight to a processing plant where they can be processed into a thick edible puree that can be stored. This is how we get acai berry pulp.

The acai berry pulp can be consumed as it is. It has the flavor of a blend of berries with a touch of chocolate. Like Brazilians, sugar or salt may be added to it. However, even the pulp cannot last very long without the draining of its essential nutrients. Depending on how far it is going, and what it is going to be used in, this acai berry pulp can be turned into juice or it can be freeze dried and converted into powder.

The acai berry pulp can be used in a variety of ways. You can get yourself an acai berry smoothie at a juice bar; you can add acai berries in a juice cocktail. Ice creams are also made with acai berry pulp. The composition of the acai berry pulp allows it to be mixed with any liquid to make a tasty drink.