Advice...starting an acai farm (insurance, wholesale, rich, income)

[thewitchisback]

I live in one of the very few regions of the world where Acai palm grows naturally. Unlike in Brazil it is not difficult to get to as it's a small country with very good infrastructure (even the deepest rainforest is not far away from a highway....whereas in Brazil the logistics are much more complicated getting it from the Amazon river to pulp factories much further away). However I am hampered by land size. The scale of my operation would be at best 1/10 th of what a typical acai pulping factory would be able to do in Brazil. But it appeals due to the easier logistics.Also there is no local market for it here...it would solely be for international export. Basically the tree is worthless and of zero interest to anyone here.
Any advice/pitfalls?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You just have to sharpen your pencil and work the figures.


How much would it cost you to put in some some processing equipment? Factories don't have to be huge.


Interview some buyers, Make sure you have a way to sell your product.


Then sit down and add up all your start up, operating, and shipping costs and compare that to the possible ( and verifiable) income.

[stepka]

One thing that concerns me about your plan is that açaí seems to be a fad at the moment and we know what happens to fads. Are you trying to get rich or just make a living? It will be easier if it’s answer #2. But either way, despite the smaller size, it sounds like a great way to get started and learn the ins and outs of the market and then if all goes well you could consider expanding your operations into Brazil.

Also, while you’re trying to get started you might consider other crops to grow as a a kind of insurance for when and if the açaí crop fails. I’ve always thought that monocropping is a bad idea but what do I know? I’m no farmer but i read books.

[davebarnes]

The first action is to learn how to spell açaí correctly.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

If the plant grows well and is easy to take care of, you can easily talk neighbors into growing it after you get a small processing plant in and running. they will grow it if there is a place to sell it.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

The first action is to learn how to spell açaí correctly.

Spell it? I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce it, and wondering why anyone wants to eat it.

[1insider]

Can you compete with Brazilian wholesalers' price? Will your margin be enough to reward you with the kind of volume you expect to produce? If you can differentiate yours somehow you might be able to command a premium but if you're only making cents per ton it won't matter.