From the heart of the Amazon to the streets of Nocatee, Easy Açaí is bringing a taste of Brazil to Northeast Florida. The shop plans to serve authentic Brazilian açaí, exotic fruit juices and traditional pastries when it opens at Nocatee Town Center, with owner Doug Rowland hoping to offer customers more than just a quick stop for a smoothie or bowl.
Easy Açaí is set to take over the former Clean Juice space at Nocatee Town Center. The company lists the location as coming soon, although an exact opening date has not been announced.
For Rowland, authenticity starts with the fruit itself. The business carefully sources its açaí from the Amazon region before working with formulators to develop a product that meets its standards.
“Our customers can expect an authentic premium Brazilian açaí,” Rowland said. “We carefully curate our product in the Amazon forest, we send it to our formulators to produce to our specs and standards, and then we bring a taste of authentic Brazilian açaí to the public.”
Açaí bowls are at the heart of the menu, but there are other Brazilian flavors to discover. Easy Açaí also serves cupuaçu, an Amazonian fruit with its own distinctive flavor, alongside a selection of juices featuring fruits such as acerola and guava.
Traditional Brazilian pastries add another dimension to the menu. Customers can expect empanadas and pão de queijo, a popular Brazilian cheese bread known for its crisp exterior and soft, cheesy center. Easy Açaí serves its pão de queijo warm, with a touch of cream cheese inside.
The experience is intended to extend beyond the food. Rowland says the Nocatee shop will have a modern, clean interior with Brazilian influences, creating a welcoming space for customers to enjoy their food and drinks.
“Our store will be warm and inviting and it will look and feel uniquely Brazilian, modern and clean,” he said. “And our team of servers are simply brilliant.”
There is also a charitable mission behind the business. Through the Vida Abençoada Institute, which translates to Blessed Life Institute, Easy Açaí supports people in Brazil through food assistance, medical and dental services, social support and life-skills programs.
Rowland says the institute helps feed 1,000 people each month, with the aim of providing support that creates opportunities for people to improve their lives. “It’s not just a hand out… it’s a hand up and opportunity,” he said.
For Rowland, giving back is closely tied to the ingredients that make the business possible. While Easy Açaí brings fruit from Brazil to customers in the United States, he wants the company’s success to benefit the people in the communities where that fruit originates.
“We harvest treasure from Brazil in the form of their fruit, and we reinvest in the real treasure — the people of Brazil,” he said.
That philosophy is central to how Rowland wants the business to grow. He believes serving customers well should go hand in hand with supporting communities in need.
“So we believe if we serve people well both our customers and the disadvantaged that our business will be not just the best company in world but the best company for the world,” he said.
The Nocatee location will bring Easy Açaí’s Brazilian-inspired menu and community-focused mission to another part of Northeast Florida. Check out its website on www.easyacai.com
