Veev Acai Spirit
Dec 28th, 2007 by William Jones
Pronounced ah-SIGH-ee, acai is the national fruit of Brazil and reputedly the healthiest food on the planet. Turn it into a sleek bottle of booze, and it’s a pretty popular fruit as well.
Tasting a little sweeter than vodka and with the added claim of not causing hangovers, Veev Acai Spirit is gaining popularity in the party towns. First only available in Los Angeles and San Diego, it gained a cult following among A-list celebrities. Matthew McConaughey, Orlando Bloom, and Drew Barrymore have all been spotted, improving their health, with a Veev martini.
Veev’s Acai Spirit is the newest in a line of “green” spirits, using its youthful popularity to fund environmental causes. Veev donates $1 from the sale of every bottle to the Sustainable Acai Project which benefits farming in the Amazonian Rainforest, the very rainforest that supplies the Acai.
In addition to benefitting the environment, Veev claims this 60-proof spirit contains enough antioxidants to actually promote good health. Acerola cherry, prickly pear, and the acai provide 57% more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries, not to mention 30 times more anthocyanins than red wine.
Veev was created by two investment bankers who wanted to combine their appreciation for the Amazon with a product that would bring their message to young, drinking-age Americans. While surfing in Brazil in 2003, Courtney and Carter Reum came across the acai berry, heard tales of its healthful benefits, and brought it back to the United States. These brothers created a liquor company to market the spirit, but maintained an environmental goal – to help continue the wild farming that produces the acai and protect the rainforest from demolition.
The idea that an alcoholic beverage could be both environmentally friendly and healthy to drink is a new trend. Frank Coleman, a spokesman for the Distilled Spirits Council, claims this fad is akin to the organic food that has become so popular over the past decade. Fresh, environmentally-friendly ingredients have crossed over from the kitchen to the liquor cabinet.
One of the secrets to Veev’s Acai Spirit seems to be its selective marketing. The sales force, who drive environmentally-friendly Toyota Priuses, have limited their distribution to high-end glamorous bars, with significant celebrity sightings. The expansion from San Diego to Los Angeles has created a buzz, so much so that bar owners in New York City and Miami Beach are begging for the product to be distributed in their area. It seems that even on the east coast, a concoction of green and healthy is just too much to resist.
To find out more information on the Veev Acai Spirit, visit http://veevlife.com.