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Sambazon Becomes First To Achieve Fair-Trade Crop Certification For Acai

By PRNewswire
Posted: October 29, 2009

OCTOBER 22, 2009 -SAN CLEMENTE, CA /PRNewswire/ -- Sambazon, the leading global supplier of acai, announces the certification of its acai crop as Fair Trade in Brazil. The certification by Ecocert, a global control and certification organization, guarantees that Sambazon ensures fair labor conditions and wages or workers, promotes environmentally sustainable farming methods and reinvests money into the community. 

Sambazon's certification occurs in conjunction with Fair Trade Month, which promotes and celebrates the socially responsible system of trade that prioritizes the needs of human beings and the environment over the drive for profits. The certification supports all three pillars of Sambazon's triple bottom line business model (people-planet-profits) by guaranteeing that the agro-forestry farms and the families who supply Sambazon with acai fruit receive a fair market price. 

The company commitment to this mission is evidenced in its Sustainable Amazon Partnership (SAP), which Sambazon founded with the Brazil Foundation and the Peabiru Institute to ensure the lasting sustainable management of the acai regions and communities. In addition to acai training programs, the partnership also offers alternative income-generating activities for thousands of woman, youth and small family farmers. 

"By promoting triple bottom line success, these families are proving the case for sustainable development in the Amazon," said Ryan Black, Sambazon co-founder and CEO. "Through Sambazon Acai, we're bringing long-term development and improved quality of life to an impoverished region." 

In 2003, Sambazon was the first company in its category to certify its acai crop as organic, and many other companies have since followed suit. A similar trend with Fair Trade would represent a win for all the stakeholders in the acai supply chain -- from the farmers to the consumers.