Jungle Berry, the Brazilian açaí café founded by Otavio Ferreira, is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Aberdeen, reporting significant customer loyalty and strong business performance. The establishment, situated on the western end of Union Street, has quickly become a local favourite.
Ferreira, 25, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, who previously managed a burger joint in his home country before moving to Aberdeen to work at popular restaurants like Miller and Carter and Estabulo, embarked on his entrepreneurial venture following a personal tragedy. Inspired by finding comfort in açaí, a staple of Brazilian cuisine, during a visit to a Jungle Berry outlet in London after his brother Matheus’s death, Ferreira resolved to bring the ‘Amazon’s most celebrated superfruit’ to his adopted city.
Açaí berries, small, dark purple fruits harvested from palm trees in the Amazon rainforest, are recognised globally as a superfood due to their rich antioxidant, fibre, and healthy fat content, including Omegas 3, 6, and 9.
Jungle Berry, which operates as a franchise with multiple locations across London, Dublin, and Lisbon, saw its Aberdeen branch become its first Scottish outpost.
Reflecting on the past year, Ferreira highlighted the consistent return of his customer base. “The customers that come in once, really enjoy it and keep coming back,” he stated. “We’ve got some customers that have ordered over 100 times in the past 12 months, so that really just shows you that people like the product.”
The café’s commitment to customer service, guided by a mantra of “treating the customers like kings,” has also earned praise from Brazilian expatriates, with Ferreira noting, “We’ve even had Brazilian customers who go back to Brazil and have it, and come back and say that Jungle Berry is the best!”
With its Union Street location thriving, Jungle Berry is now poised for expansion with plans for a new food truck at Aberdeen Beach. Ferreira has invested approximately £22,000 to prepare the mobile unit, a new operational model for the franchise. This strategic move is closely linked to the ongoing £50 million Aberdeen City Centre and Beach Masterplan, a significant regeneration project aimed at transforming the seafront into a year-round destination.
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The first phase of the beachfront redevelopment, which includes a world-class play park, an event space capable of hosting up to 11,000 people, an amphitheatre, and a skatepark, is projected for completion in late summer 2026.
Ferreira anticipates a substantial increase in footfall, stating: “Footfall is going to be insane at the beach as well.” He views the overall city transformation positively: “I think Aberdeen is going on the right track. Once the beach is completed, that will make the city look a lot nicer and it’ll bring a lot more people in.”
While Jungle Berry initially explored a permanent location within the beach’s new facilities, the quicker deployment of a food truck became the preferred route to leverage the anticipated surge in visitors. Ferreira expects the food truck to open soon, pending final licensing approvals.
