Ancelmo Sobrinho has been running Boa Vida in Park City for four months now, selling Wednesdays at the Park City Farmers Market and Saturdays at the Copper Moose Farm Stand.
As the head instructor of Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra Park City, Sobrinho was eager to share more of his Brazilian culture to the Park City community. For him, açaí was the obvious choice.
“‘Boa Vida’ means ‘good life’ in Português,” says their instagram bio. Moving to Park City from Brazil three years ago, Sobrinho left his açaí business behind for a while. Now, partnering with a jiu-jitsu student, Boa Vida is back and equipped with a mobile home.
“I started this because (in Brazil) it is super common — When guys train in sports, Brazilian jiu-jitsu for example, before and after everybody goes to the store to eat açaí,” says Sobrinho.
Collaborating with an açaí farm in Pará, a state in northern Brazil, Sobrinho is passionate about having high-quality ingredients. “You can see the color is very purple,” he says about this region’s açaí. “It’s a very healthy, energetic food.”
Açaí berries are small and dark in color, grown from the açaí palm. Naturally this fruit contains a higher amount of healthy fats, making it more satiating than other fruits. Açaí acts in the body as an antioxidant, helping to protect and recover cells from damage. This makes it a useful workout supplement and a generally healthy treat.
For these hot summer months, Sobrinho’s bowls and smoothies are the perfect pick-me-up. Naturally sweet, healthy and delicious, it’s like snacking on guilt-free ice cream. Crafted in the traditional style, Boa Vida’s bowls are eaten with a spoon, made with a thick açaí base, topped with sliced strawberries and bananas, granola and drizzled with honey. They can be customized with a large assortment of additional toppings — including blueberries, pineapple, kiwi, coconut, goji berries, chocolate chunks, almond butter and more. Prices are $7 for mini, $12 for small and $14 for large, and 50 cents per additional topping.
The açaí as a base is rich and tart, with somewhat bitter, earthy undertones of dark chocolate and blackberry. That flavor allows it to pair well with sweeter fruits like bananas and strawberries. Granola provides a textured crunch. I added kiwi (my favorite fruit) for a pop of color. The flavors were well balanced and the honey drizzle helped offset the tartness. Two thumbs up!
Halfway through the small size, I was already feeling pretty full.
Boa Vida also makes smoothies ($10), offering three kinds: Sunrise (açaí, strawberry, banana and orange juice), Power (açaí, banana, peanut butter, almond milk and protein) and Chocolate Dream (açaí, banana, cacao, almond milk and honey). Each smoothie can be ordered the “Brazilian way,” which adds a sweetened condensed milk drizzle. Sobrinho recommended the Sunrise smoothie, which is a more traditional Brazilian recipe — “It’s so delicious … so happy.”
I tried the Sunrise smoothie, the Brazilian way. This drink was thick and cold, the açaí and the orange juice both offering a bright tartness. The sweetened condensed milk drizzle added creaminess and harmony to the citrus. It was also filling, a refreshing snack to energize me through a sunny walk around the market.
In the future, Sobrinho hopes to open a store. Until then, you can enjoy these delicious treats on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and follow Boa Vida on instagram @boavidaacai to stay in the know.
