Our Mission
SUSTAINABLE GUARANA
One of our primary objectives is to transform deforested land that borders intact rainforest into secondary rainforest through a sustainable approach of planting Guarana. ARFI provides land and Guarana seedlings for an all-organic and fair trade production, benefiting local farmers.
Guarana, a creeper that grows in our newly designed cultivation, grows upwards on trees in an eco-friendly symbiosis. It can only be harvested by hand, and its popularity on the world market as a natural and healthy energy seed is soaring, as it only grows in the Amazon and the Atlantic Rainforest. The high demand for Guarana translates to high prices, ensuring a substantial income for local farmers.
Within the first year of cultivating Guarana, the plant already produces 20% of its seeds, but it takes seven years to reach 100% of the crop. Local farmers then harvest for seven more years. Fourteen years after planting the seedlings, we transfer the entire piece of land into a "RPPN" (natural reserve). Wind disperses the seeds, and several decades later, we have created a new area of secondary rainforest. This scenario can be repeated multiple times to restore rainforest for future generations, while providing local families with a sustainable income. By creating sustainable Guarana cultivations instead of just preserving rainforest, we are offering local people a chance to thrive in their habitat, as opposed to resorting to deforestation for new cultivation areas.
Guarana (paullinia cupana) is a creeping shrub belonging to the Sapindaceae family, native to the Amazon and Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest. The plant can grow up to 12 meters long, entwining around the massive trees of the equatorial rainforest, providing nutrition and stimuli.
The secret of Guarana lies in its exceptionally high caffeine content, the highest naturally occurring caffeine content in the world. However, unlike caffeine from traditional coffee beans, Guarana's caffeine is free of adverse effects, longer-lasting (4-6 hours), and gentle on our system. Guarana also contains essential oils and saponins. In South America, Guarana used to be as highly valued as gold was in Europe. Today, it is often referred to as "Brazil's Ginseng" or the "Elixir of Youth."
Guarana is known for its stimulant properties, reputed to increase mental alertness, fight fatigue, and boost stamina and physical endurance.
In addition to its stimulant effects, Guarana is also a popular ingredient in herbal weight loss supplements, as evidence suggests it may suppress appetite and increase fat-burning. Moreover, Guarana is Brazil's go-to remedy for hangovers, known as Brazil's hangover cure No. 1!
The Mission of ARFI
SuddenRush is dedicated to creating products that have a positive impact on social and ecological conditions. We are committed to being the change we want to see on this planet and have initiated the SuddenRush Guarana project with the primary goal of protecting the Atlantic Rainforest. Guarana only grows in the South American Rainforest and will only do so in healthy surroundings. As such, we donate at least 10 percent of all profits from the sale of SuddenRush Guarana's natural and organic energy shots to the Brazilian NGO, the Atlantic Rainforest Institution (ARFI), which works to protect and preserve the Atlantic Rainforest in the south of Bahia, Brazil.
ARFI is a non-governmental organization with an official entry in the commercial register, founded on June 5th, 2005, in Illheus, Brazil. Its primary objective is to purchase 700,000 square meters of intact rainforest land plots in the south of Bahia. At least 99 percent of the area will remain a nature reserve, while the remaining 7,000 square meters will be used as the location of a nature clinic. In this clinic, veterinarians from across the globe will treat the endemic Golden Lion Tamarin and the Maned Sloth, both close to extinction. The visitors' center of the nature clinic will serve as an educational center for children and youths to learn about species diversity and the Atlantic Rainforest. Visitors from across the globe can also walk the experience trail, learning about the rainforest and its inhabitants. The clinic will serve as a base to start other projects that help the rainforest and its diverse organisms.
Saving rainforests is the fastest and most effective way to stabilize global climate change, as trees help regulate the climate by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Atlantic Rainforest
Trees play a crucial role in regulating the climate by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO²), the main greenhouse gas. Burning tropical forests contributes to 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all cars, trucks, trains, and planes combined. Saving rainforests is the fastest and most effective way to stabilize global climate change, and it is a critical part of the larger solution that requires immediate action.
The Atlantic Rainforest is a conservation hotspot, with 93% of its original size destroyed over the last 500 years, despite being extremely rich in biodiversity and under continued threat.
The main goal of the Atlantic Rainforest Institution is to preserve and reforest the truly endangered and species-rich Atlantic Rainforest along Brazil's Atlantic coastline. All intact rainforest areas sponsored by ARFI are later transferred into a "Reserva Particular de Patrimonio National" (a natural reserve) that guarantees governmental protection for eternity.
Despite heavy deforestation, the biome still holds a remarkably high level of biological diversification with a significant level of endemism. The Atlantic Rainforest harbors more than 20,000 tree species, and in Southern Bahia (where ARFI headquarters is located), one hectare (the size of a football field) recorded counts of 270 species of mammals (90 endemic), 372 amphibians (260 endemic), 197 reptiles (60 endemic), 849 birds (188 endemic), 2120 butterflies (948 endemic), and a world record biodiversity of 456 trees.
ARFI is a non-governmental organization with trade register number 2984 à Folha 0022 do Livro A-14 do Cartório de Títulos e Documentos da Comarca de Ilhéus - Bahia - Brazil, and CNPJ - 08.631.232 /0001-50 (Cadastro de Pessoa Juridica).
The organization collaborates primarily with local NGOs, biologists, farmers, etc., and is active on the Costa de Cacau in Southern Bahia, Brazil. International ambassadors of ARFI help raise awareness among young people on the planet.
To learn more about SuddenRush Guarana and our commitment to preserving the Atlantic Rainforest, please visit our website at SuddenRushGuarana and the Atlantic Rainforest Institution's website at https://www.arfi.org.
Obrigado for your support!