Berritazza Cafe

the berritazza cafe story
Starting at the age of three, Joao Bezerra Jr. would spend every summer visiting family in Brazil. Home base was the city of Belem do Para, located 100 km from the Atlantic ocean and considered the gateway to the Amazon River. At an early age, he discovered exotic foods that were a mixture of European and Indigenous traditions. One tradition he loved was to eat açaí after lunch at his grandmother’s house. The experience was memorable as he would leave the house early and head to the famous market place called “Ver o Peso” (see the weight), where they would buy all the daily groceries. The last stop was acaiteria!!! “Two liters of acai, Grosso (thick)” would be the order. The attendant would grab a container of acai berries, pour them into a machine with a spinning beater and add filtered water. A few minutes later, we had two liters of acai packaged tightly in a plastic bag. A stained mouth, teeth, and lips were the ultimate sign of a delectable experience captured in one of the pictures. Forty years later, Joao has brought those same traditions and quality to Berritazza Café. The Berritazza mission is to introduce the Amazon by capturing the purest essence of açaí and coffee, as was introduced to Joao in his grandmother’s kitchen.