Tag Archives: Business Insider Videos
Rainforest Views: How Açaí Is Harvested In Brazil
Most of the world’s açaí comes from the Amazon rainforest. People risk their lives to harvest the fruit, climbing palm trees that can grow taller than 50 feet. And while açaí has become one of the trendiest superfoods in recent decades, small farmers aren’t seeing a lot of the profits. The açaí industry has also taken heat over reports of child labor. We went to Brazil to find out how the world’s açaí gets from the Amazon to smoothie shops around the world.
The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily
Artisan Views: Handmade Japanese Iron Kettles
A handmade Japanese iron kettle can cost over $300. For centuries, artisans have made kettles by pouring molten iron into molds and hammering them out once they’ve cooled. These kettles often have beautiful designs but they’re only used for boiling water. You can buy a mass produced stovetop kettle for $20, so what makes these kettles unique? And why are they so expensive?
Views: Stone Sculptors Keep Craft Alive In Egypt
For over sixty years, Sayed Al-Mataany has been using thousand-year-old, Ancient Egyptian methods to carve hieroglyphs into vases and sculptures — but major blows to Egypt’s tourism industry have caused a steady decline in the number of tourists coming to Luxor to buy his ornaments. We went to Luxor in Egypt to see how his business is still standing. Sayed does not have a website. He sells his work locally in Luxor.
Business Views: Ostrich Farming In Pakistan
Ostrich meat may seem foreign to American taste buds, but it’s a common delicacy in parts of Africa, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Now, Pakistan is trying to break into the market — but the industry is experiencing setbacks just as it was taking off, leaving a small group of farmers to keep it alive.
In 2016, the Pakistani government began a project to kick-start the ostrich industry there, offering subsidies to ostrich farmers. Soon, the number of ostrich farms in the country rose from about 60 to 400. Some observers called the industry a “gold mine.”
But in 2018, the subsidy program expired when the government declined to renew it.
Many of those farmers haven’t been able to pay off their initial investments.
“This business is more profitable than other livestock, but the farmer needs a lot of patience,” Raja Tahir Latif, an ostrich farmer who consulted on the government program, said.
Boomers Daily 