A former Olympian, a well-known chef and a handful of business owners are introducing Brazilian acai franchise Oakberry to Oahu, with the aim of quickly scaling the brand throughout the Hawaiian Islands.
Açai Partners Hawaii, which signed a multi-unit agreement to develop Oakberry in the state, counts among its investors Hawaii-born Olympic volleyball player Kawika Shoji, chef and James Beard Award semifinalist Jason Peel, and prominent local business owners Malia Kaaihue, Adam Wong and Ryan Chun.
“We have really deep roots in Hawaii,” said Bonny Amemiya, the group’s chief operating officer. She noted Oakberry’s commitment to sustainability and its use of all-natural products are “very much aligned to Hawaii’s culture and values.”
Launched in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2016 by Georgios Frangulis and Renato Haidar, Oakberry uses organic acai pulp, organic brown sugar and organic blue agave syrup in its products, along with fresh toppings. It grew to 300-plus stores in Brazil and hundreds more in numerous other countries such as Portugal, Spain and the United Arab Emirates before tackling expansion in the United States.
Bonny Amemiya, COO of Acai Partners Hawaii, says Oakberry will stand out in Hawaii as a healthy option in the quick-service segment.
Oakberry now has 30 stores across California, New York and Florida, and late last year raised $67 million through a Series C funding round managed by BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in Latin America.
It was the third funding round for the chain, which raised $17.3 million in 2021. The next year, it received a green Agribusiness Receivables Certificate of $10.3 million for the purchase of sustainably managed açaí, which it sources from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.
“It’s a global brand with the commitment and capacity to expand widely in the U.S.,” said Amemiya. The former chief financial officer for Pentagram Corp., which at one time operated 34 Burger Kings in Hawaii, Amemiya said Oakberry has an operationally efficient system that allows it to run out of a small footprint with a low initial investment.
Related: Brazilian Acai Brand Oakberry Accelerates U.S. Franchise Expansion
A standard store is approximately 500 square feet, with an initial investment range of $100,000 to $350,000.
It was Adam Wong, an entrepreneur and investor who brought Great Harvest Bread Co. to Hawaii as a franchisee in the early 2000s, who first learned about Oakberry. As Amemiya recounted, Wong’s daughter was competing in a volleyball tournament on California’s Hermosa Beach, near an Oakberry store.
“Adam started noticing all these Oakberry charges popping up daily on his credit card,” Amemiya said. “He wanted to discover what was going on and why his daughter and her friends were so into Oakberry. Once he tried the product and he saw the operation, it really piqued his interest.”
Though acai bowls have for years appeared on menus in Hawaii, they’ve mostly been available at mom-and-pop restaurants using low-quality ingredients, explained Amemiya. She expects Oakberry’s superior product to stand out as a healthy, nutritious, meal-replacement option amid the typical quick-service choices.
Açai Partners Hawaii didn’t disclose the total number of stores it agreed to development, but Amemiya said the group is “aggressively pursuing locations.” Their first Oakberry is slated to open later this year at the Kapolei Commons, a shopping center in the fast-growing West Oahu area.
“The acai trend is growing, and we want to grow with it,” said Amemiya.
Among the other acai-focused franchises pushing expansion in the U.S. are Rush Bowls, Playa Bowls, Everbowl, Vitality Bowls and Frutta Bowls. Playa Bowls, which did $225 million in sales last year from 243 stores, is the largest. New entrants in the space include Palm Berries, along with Raining Berries, which is backed by several pro athletes.
Oakberry stores sell a variety of acai bowls and smoothies, along with branded snack bars and kombucha.