Eye Candy: We Speak to Co-Founder of Selva Foods, Cinthya Sayuri
PUBLISHED August 30th, 2016 06:45 am | UPDATED February 27th, 2017 03:47 pm
If you’re into healthy living in Singapore, chances are you’ve heard of açaí by Selva Foods. They’ve been involved in countless health and healthy living events, and their açaí have managed to win many hearts here.
In this edition of Eye Candy, we had a chat with co-founder of Selva, Cinthya Sayuri, who shared the conception of Selva and her favourite açaí bowl recipes.
Hi Cinthya, tell us a little about yourself !
Hi there! I was born and raised in Brazil, but my heritage is Japanese. My grandparents immigrated to Brazil a long time ago and established their families there. I’m the 3rd generation and am now coming back to Asia to do what my grandparents did – exploring new horizons (in a completely different context, of course).
You moved to Singapore to start Selva a year ago. How did that happen?
The idea sprouted when my partner and I were living in Brazil. We met in Shanghai, fell in love, then he came back to Singapore and I headed back to Brazil. Thanks to the universe, he came to live in Sao Paulo; it was tough (and expensive) maintaining the long distance relationship. While living in Brazil, he tried the açaí bowl and fell in love with it. It was similar to ice cream, but it being dairy free and super healthy made it even better. From there, we took the leap of faith and made a trip to the Amazon Forest. We spent some time with the indigenous communities of the forest and, that was a life lesson of living simply, in harmony, and being happy.
Selva, by the way, means jungle in Portuguese – we aim to bring produce from the forest while respecting and honouring the communities that live there.
From there, we came to Singapore. Starting a new business, and introducing a new product in a new market certainly wasn’t the most straightforward thing. In the beginning, we took up a lot of events in relation to outdoors, fitness, yoga, beach etc, as we needed to create awareness about açaí bowls – educating the public on what açaí was, where it comes from, and how to consume it. Nowadays, we still do events and it’s really cool to see how people have already had their taste of açaí and are enjoying it!
It’s been a journey of so much learning.
So, how do you like it in Singapore?
Singapore is the gateway to Asia, a super modern country, and is really supportive to start ups. I believe it was a great move to start Selva here. We’ve met some incredible people who became friends along the way. Especially being far away from home, your friends became your family, and I’m so lucky I’ve found these guys. And the local food here, I simply love it! Chicken rice, char siew, roasted pork, orh luak, nasi lemak, laksa, carrot cake…I could keep going on and on!
Selva has been advocating the importance of superfoods through events and word of mouth, how do you think people in Singapore are reacting to eating clean?
Singaporeans have quite a refined palate. They breakdown and evaluate the quality of a dish in different aspects; it is pretty amazing and sets the bar quite high. When it comes to eating healthy people are always looking out for healthier options and the more they try, the more they will be able to tell what is good – thus pushing this market to higher standards. I see this with our açaí: how people have adopted it to their diet because of its benefits…to the point that they now perceive the difference between different types of acais.
Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice that is gaining more traction in Singapore. People care about what they put inside their bodies, after all, we are what we eat.
Where can we buy Selva’s açaí?
You can find acai bowls made with Selva in these places:
- Afterglow: açaí with raw brownie, raw salted tahini ‘caramel’, raw dehydrated ‘cheese’ slice (cashew, spinach, avocado & lime) & raw strawberry compote
- My Awesome Cafe: single or more scoops, plain or with choice of toppings, açaí smoothie
- Juice Junkie: açaí bowl with choice of toppings or açaí scoop with almond butter and fruits
- Tanjong Beach Club: açaí bowl with toppings
- The Balanced Living Cafe
- Soul Smoothie (at SMU)
To make your own bowls, you can purchase our take home ready to eat acai (500g) at:
- Little Farms
- The Organic Grocer
- Four Seasons Organic Market
- Zircon Swis Gourmet
- Eat Organic
- The Butcher
- Juice Junkie
What are some of your favourite açaí bowl recipes?
These are three of my all time favourites:
Açaí fruity bowl
This is easy to make, basically just acai topped with your favourite toppings:
- 200g açaí by selva (about 4 tablespoons)
- topped with mango, bananas, coconut flakes and cocoa nibs
- a scoop of Biscoff spread/honey/condensed milk if you’re feeling more indulgent
Açaí milk bowl
- 200g açaí by selva
- 80ml of milk
- stir them together
- add your favourite toppings
Açaí power smoothie
- 150g açaí by selva
- 200ml fresh thai coconut water
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 banana
Blend them all in the blender.
To make that into a bowl blend the coconut water, spinach and banana first, then add the açaí and press pulse.
Selva has gathered a cult following and you have come a long way to educate people about acai. What’s your mantra?
You have to believe in what you’re doing and push it, because no one else will. No one else may be able to see it, so you have to create the way. Don’t give up, but don’t be stubborn, learn how to be flexible, to listen with your vision in mind.
What’s next in store for Selva?
Apart from ready-to-eat açaí, we’re going to be bringing other produce from the forest and healthy snacks.
Any shout-outs?
We’re always around doing pop ups in the city, so follow our Facebook and Instagram for updates! Our next big event will be Soulscape on 1 October 2016 at Tanjong Beach.
