Our connection to the Amazon
Our connection to the Amazon
Rudolph Care is deeply rooted in the Brazilian rainforest, the Amazon. This is where we source our core ingredient, açai oil – and where we have a special bond with the magnificent nature and, most importantly, with the people who harvest the açai berries.
As a responsible company, we see it as a natural obligation to care for the places and people we work closely with. On this page, you can read about Rudolph Care’s projects in the Amazon, driven in collaboration with the local community of Nazarezinho do Meruú.
We also share why we see protecting the rainforest as a natural part of our work.
A close collaboration
Since 2009, we have collaborated with the same local community in Nazarezinho do Meruú in the northeastern part of the Brazilian state of Pará. Nazarezinho do Meruú is the most lush and green place you can imagine – wild and inaccessible. Açai, people, pets (and everything else) are transported by boat through the winding waterways of the Amazon River. There are no vehicles here, because there are no roads – and the locals are called the river people. The air is humid, potent, alive – and you feel the warmth of the sun mixing with a humidity so high it almost drips. The community consists of 250 families, 20 of whom are licensed to harvest açai berries, and we have visited them several times over the years, most recently in April 2025.
What started as a business collaboration has developed into friendship and a shared love for the rainforest. It is a collaboration that goes beyond trade and ingredients; it also includes support for projects that create lasting improvements for the community.
We speak about the Amazon not only because it’s part of our supply chain, but because it’s part of our responsibility. Many have learned that the Amazon is the lungs of the Earth, but that is only partly true. The rainforest absorbs about as much CO₂ and oxygen as it emits. Yet it remains crucial for the climate: It cools nearby areas, creates clouds that protect against the sun, and allows rainwater to penetrate deep into the ground. Without it, there is no balance. The Amazon is home to at least 10% of all known species* and is one of the last bastions of biodiversity on the planet. In the midst of a biodiversity crisis, where thousands of plant and animal species are at risk of disappearing, protecting it is more important than ever. (*Source: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon/)
But how do we protect the forest?
According to WWF*, the indigenous peoples of the rainforest play a key role in its survival. They live closely connected to nature and are often the first to detect illegal logging or fires. Where industry depletes the soil and displaces life, typically to make room for cattle and soy, the indigenous peoples safeguard the forest’s balance. (*Source: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/lar2022_eng_digital.pdf)
We are therefore convinced that when we strengthen the Amazon’s first line of defense, the local community that depends deeply on a healthy and thriving forest, we also support the wellbeing of the forest itself. The projects are locally rooted and created in collaboration with the locals, our production partner, and the NGO IFT (Instituto Floresta Tropical – formerly Berraca Institute), with financial support from sales of our Açai Facial Oil 30 ml (DKK 100,000 annually) and the 4% of our profits we donate each year to organizations and responsibility projects.
Projects year by year
In 2019, the development of the first two projects in Nazarezinho do Meruú began. These included the renovation of the local school, EMEIF São Sebastião, and the establishment of a kitchen garden and plant nursery linked to the school. When construction was about to begin in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and put the project on hold.
2020 was paralyzed by COVID-19, and projects came to a halt. In 2020, Rudolph Care therefore donated DKK 150,000 in full from sales of our core product, Açai Facial Oil 30 ml, to the Red Cross, supporting their work in Brazil to combat COVID-19. The support included the distribution of relief aid, sanitation, rapid testing for COVID-19, and the training of a national team in psychosocial support, risk and disaster management, among other efforts.
2021 was still marked by COVID-19, and the time was used to plan the renovation of the local school, EMEIF São Sebastião. In spring 2022, when the rainy season ended, the villagers began the work. The school’s roof was repaired, eliminating closure days during the rainy season, so that all 160 pupils can now attend school regardless of the weather. The installation of fans in the classrooms lowered the temperature from about 36°C to 28°C. The renovation also included the construction of a new classroom for preschool teaching, which meant that 28 children were enrolled. And finally, the school is now equipped with a water filtration tank, ensuring cold, clean water for the children.
The seed and kitchen garden project, put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19, was built near the local school, EMEIF São Sebastião, in June 2023. Unfortunately, due to changes in the community’s leadership, the kitchen garden could not be maintained and no longer exists today (2025).
In 2023, we allocated the first DKK 100,000 from sales of Açai Facial Oil 30 ml to finance the establishment of a multi sports court. This will give the population access to community events and health initiatives, and provide schoolchildren with a place to play and do sports. Due to the size of the project, the establishment will span several years.
In 2024, we also allocated DKK 100,000 from sales of Açai Facial Oil 30 ml to the establishment of the multi sports court. In addition, we allocated most of the 4% of profits that Rudolph Care annually donates to the multi sports court.
In 2025, founder Andrea Elisabeth Rudolph and a small team from Rudolph Care visited the local community of Nazarezinho do Meruú. As before, we were welcomed into a warmhearted space of people who live with and in the Amazon with their families. In a rainforest that is both harsh and generous. We visited the school, where we could see the tangible improvements made in 2022, and we saw the area where the foundation for the multi sports court is to be established.
When establishing the foundation of the court, a small part of the forest’s plants will need to be relocated. The parties involved in the project (the community of Nazarezinho do Meruú, the NGO Instituto Floresta Tropical, our production partner, and Rudolph Care) agree that this must be done in the most careful way. That said, we are convinced that this improvement in the quality of life in the area outweighs the few plants that may be lost during the relocation and construction process.
In 2025, the DKK 100,000 from the sales of Açai Facial Oil, along with the majority of the 4% of profits that Rudolph Care donates annually, will once again be allocated to the construction of the multi sports court.
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