Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Amaral.
Hi Ana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Brazil, and I moved to the U.S. in 2018 to attend college and play Division I water polo. I studied Business Entrepreneurship and Marketing at the University of the Pacific. Around the same time, my sister also moved to the U.S. for an exchange program in Santa Barbara, where she attended Santa Barbara High School and played water polo. After our first year here, my parents decided they wanted to make the move to the U.S. as well, and with that came the idea of opening a business. We started looking at different opportunities and noticed there was a gap in the market for really good, authentic açaí. Growing up in Brazil, we were used to having access to high-quality açaí, and we felt like we couldn’t really find the same thing here.
My mom used to own a school back in São Paulo, and while we were figuring out what kind of business we wanted to open, we found out that the CEO of Oakberry had actually attended her school. It felt like a perfect match. We reached out to him, he loved the idea, and that’s how we ended up bringing the first Oakberry to California. My parents opened the Downtown Santa Barbara location in June 2020. It was definitely a challenging time to open a business because it was right in the middle of the pandemic, but we made it through and learned so much along the way.
By the time I was graduating from college, in 2022, we were starting to think about how we could expand the business. We noticed another gap in the market. There weren’t many food trucks offering healthy options. That’s when we came up with the idea of launching an Oakberry food truck. Today, I own the Oakberry food truck alongside my parents, and we work very closely together to run the business. Toward the end of 2023, my parents also expanded by opening the Isla Vista location.
The food truck has been a huge learning experience. When we started, we had no idea just how challenging owning and operating a food truck could be. We always joke that we could probably write a book about everything we’ve experienced and all the stories we’ve collected along the way. But when I look at where we started compared to where we are today, we’ve come such a long way. We’ve built so many relationships within the community, developed partnerships with local businesses and organizations, and continue to get more opportunities for catering and events.
It’s definitely been a long journey, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding to see how much the business has grown and to know that I’ve been part of that growth from the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The food truck was definitely a very bumpy road in the beginning. There were so many things we had to learn from scratch, from learning how to drive and maneuver the trailer, to getting all the necessary permits, finding a place to park it, finding a commissary, figuring out where we could dump wastewater and get fresh water, even issues with our generator. It felt like every single detail came with a new challenge. But we’ve come such a long way. At this point, we’ve basically mastered so many of the issues that felt overwhelming when we first started. Three years ago, I don’t think I could have imagined how far we would come or how much we would learn along the way.
Another huge challenge was, and honestly, still is, figuring out where to take the food truck and which opportunities are actually worth pursuing. We’ve had to learn what kinds of events work for us, where our target customers are, which locations make sense, and which events may sound great but aren’t necessarily ideal for our business. We’ve also had to figure out how to market the food truck, build relationships within the community, find more catering opportunities, and continue getting our name out there.
Santa Barbara isn’t necessarily a huge food truck city, which has both its pros and cons. On one hand, there isn’t as much of an established food truck culture as you might find in a larger city. On the other hand, that creates opportunities for us to stand out and build something that isn’t already everywhere. We’ve come a very long way, and I’m really proud of what we’ve built and everything we’ve learned, but I also think we still have a lot of room to grow. That’s part of what keeps it exciting. There’s always another opportunity to explore and another way we can improve the business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Oakberry is a Brazilian franchise that specializes in açaí bowls and smoothies. I think what really sets us apart is the quality and authenticity of our product. Our açaí comes directly from the Amazon rainforest, where açaí grows naturally, and it isn’t mixed with other fruits or juices. It’s the real deal and gives people the experience of what authentic açaí is supposed to taste like.
We’re really proud to be able to share a little piece of Brazil with the Santa Barbara community. I like to describe what we offer as healthy fast food. We have the ability to make a beautiful, high-quality açaí bowl in a very short amount of time, which I think also differentiates us from our competitors.
Something I think is really special about açaí is its connection to the Amazon. It’s a superfood that has been part of Brazilian culture for a long time, and now we get to introduce it to more people here and share something that we grew up with.
A big part of our food truck business is catering and attending events throughout Santa Barbara. Over the years, we’ve done a little bit of everything: community events, private parties, corporate catering, sporting events, high school lunches, wedding brunches, and more. We’re always looking for new events, partnerships, and opportunities to bring the truck into different parts of the community.
And even though Oakberry is a franchise, our Santa Barbara locations and food truck are locally owned and operated by our family, so local support means a lot to us.
We’re very proud of how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned throughout the process. At the same time, we’re always looking for ways to continue growing, reach more people, and become an even bigger part of the Santa Barbara community.
Any big plans?
Our biggest plan for the future is simply to keep growing. We want to continue building our network, making new connections, and developing relationships with more businesses and organizations in the community.
We’d love to attend more events, increase our catering business, build more partnerships, and ultimately get the food truck in front of more people.
We’re not necessarily looking to make any major changes to what we’re doing. We believe in our product and in the business we’ve built. Now, the goal is to keep building on that foundation, create more opportunities, and continue growing from there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oakberry.com/en-us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakberryusa/
- Other: https://www.oakberry.com/event/santa-barbara
