By Jacqui Somen
Will Anderson doesn’t have your average health food entrepreneur story, but it’s a good one. After earning his MBA from Fordham GSB, Will provided valuation services in the Tech, Media, and Telecom (TMT) space with Deloitte’s Advisory practice. He worked with Fortune 500 companies to value their assets for the purposes of mergers and acquisitions. Though he excelled at working with TMT clients, he had the opportunity to work with one food and beverage client, Constellation Brands, a beer, wine and spirits company that changed the way he looked at business. It was during this project that Will realized his true love was for consumer-packaged goods. “Food is simple, and it brings so much joy into people’s life,” he says.
It took a few years for Will to find his true calling, though. Will always had an entrepreneurial spirit, but he wanted to make sure that anything that he took on would create true value — value for consumers, value for suppliers, and value for his own business. Will made a personal visit to Brazil in 2012. On this trip, everything began to click into place. He visited the Amazon river basin and had his first encounter with the açaí berry, which has been a staple of the Amazonian diet for thousands of years. The locals told him of the incredible health benefits of eating açaí — namely that it is incredibly high in antioxidants, which help the body fight against free radicals that contribute to cardiovascular, inflammatory, and cancerous illnesses. He almost immediately recognized this super berry as his path towards creating value for the world.
After returning from Brazil with the Amazonian flavors still tingling on his tongue, Will learned that his uncle by marriage coincidentally spends half of his time in the Amazon. His uncle introduced him to an açaí producer, and Will’s journey to becoming one of New York City’s most successful açaí distributors began. A few months later, Açaí of America, now a leading distributor of high-quality açaí berry pulp to top food service establishments, was born. From a business perspective, Will found everything he needed in açaí: It was a niche product that he could gather straight from the source, and Americans had just begun to develop a taste for this superfruit and its powerful health benefits. In his home of New York City, there was a huge market waiting to be tapped.
Will’s focus is to provide the highest quality açaí to Americans. After almost a decade in the industry, Will knows the ins and outs of açaí. He knows the best area to harvest açaí and has developed deep relationships with the producers in that region. He knows how to freeze the açaí berry at just the right moment as to maintain its peak nutritive value when it reaches the blender at your favorite cafe in New York City. Will knows that açaí is at its best when it is unsweetened. The açaí berry has rich flavors that do not require enhancement. Pure, unadulterated açaí berry, which is the favorite smoothie bowl base amongst true health enthusiasts and athletes, delivers robust undertones of chocolate and earthiness. Importantly, Will also has a great deal of intricate knowledge about the soil in which his açaí is grown. He knows that a Fair-Trade system is embedded in the industry and that producers are enthusiastically upgrading their manufacturing standards to be able to supply açaí globally.
One secret to Will’s success is that he is constantly learning about his industry and his product. As his knowledge and relationships grow, he refines his operations and product. Will visits the Amazon river basin every few months with the objective of learning as much from the locals as he can. The producers are eager to teach him, just as they are eager to learn from him how to bring their exceptional product into the United States.
When Açaí of America was first founded, Will knocked on doors of restaurants himself. He drove the streets of New York City selling his top-quality product directly from his truck. He knew that he wanted to become the leading distributor of açaí in New York City. Today, demand for Açaí of America’s top-quality frozen açaí berry is so strong that Will has been able to hand distribution to nine distributors in the tri-state area within the past year. Açaí of America is widening their net with new accounts growing across the country every day.
Though he has become an açaí expert and enthusiast, Will is first and foremost a businessman. His business acumen paired with persistence and tirelessness has allowed Açaí of America to grow exponentially. Importantly, Will has been able to achieve his goals of creating value throughout his entire supply chain — Açaí of America customers are receiving the best açaí with healthy superfood benefits, while the producers have thriving businesses.
