Brazil’s Açaí Phenomenon Is Exporting Its Franchise Model to US

Brazil’s açaí giant Oakberry launching 100+ Texas locations and disrupting the U.S. health food market.

Brazilian wellness brand Oakberry is accelerating its international growth with a major franchise agreement that will bring roughly 100 locations to Texas beginning in 2026. The deal reflects a broader shift in which Latin American health-focused brands are scaling globally through large regional franchise developers.

From São Paulo Startup to Global Franchise

Oakberry began as a small Brazilian concept built around one of the country’s most recognizable superfoods: açaí. Founded in São Paulo in 2016 by Georgios Frangulis and Renato Haidar, the brand focused on turning frozen açaí pulp into customizable bowls and smoothies designed for fast, healthy consumption.

The model proved unusually portable. Within less than a decade the company expanded to hundreds of stores globally through franchising, with a large footprint in Brazil and growing networks across Europe, North America and Asia.

The concept combines a simple operating format with a strong lifestyle positioning. Stores typically emphasize quick service, customizable toppings such as granola, fruit and nut butters, and branding tied closely to fitness culture and wellness-oriented consumers.

That combination has helped the chain expand rapidly in international markets where demand for health-forward quick-service options has grown steadily.

A Major Texas Development Agreement

The brand’s latest expansion milestone comes through a statewide development agreement in Texas with Rand Group, a multi-brand operator with experience managing global restaurant systems. The agreement grants Rand Group exclusive rights to develop and operate Oakberry locations across the state.

The partners plan to open approximately 100 locations beginning in 2026, focusing initially on major metropolitan areas including Austin, Dallas and Houston.

The rollout will target high-traffic sites near universities, sports venues and fitness-focused retail districts where the brand’s health-oriented positioning is expected to resonate with younger consumers.

For Oakberry, the Texas agreement represents the largest multi-unit development deal the company has signed in the United States to date.

The partnership is also expected to accelerate the brand’s broader U.S. pipeline, which now includes more than 250 planned locations nationwide across multiple states.

The Rise of the Latin American Wellness Brand

Oakberry’s expansion reflects a wider shift occurring within the global franchise landscape. A growing number of Latin American food brands built around native ingredients and wellness-oriented positioning are beginning to scale internationally.

In many cases these concepts start with a culturally distinctive product that already has global recognition. Açaí, harvested from palm trees in Brazil’s Amazon region, gained international visibility during the early 2000s as a so-called superfood due to its antioxidant profile and association with healthy lifestyles.

Entrepreneurs in Brazil then developed retail formats capable of commercializing the ingredient efficiently, combining frozen fruit pulp with a customizable quick-service format that could be easily franchised.

The result is a category of brands that sit somewhere between smoothie chains and fast-casual restaurants. The model is operationally simple, relies on a limited core ingredient set and fits well into high-footfall urban retail locations.

The Role of Large Regional Developers

Another defining feature of the new wave of international franchise expansion is the increasing role of large regional developers.

Rather than relying on individual operators to open one or two locations, many emerging brands are partnering with experienced multi-unit developers capable of launching dozens of stores across a large geographic market.

The Texas deal follows this approach. Rand Group, which already operates international retail brands at scale, will oversee development and operations across the state as part of its exclusive territory agreement.

For franchisors, these partnerships can accelerate market entry while ensuring operational consistency during the early stages of expansion.

For developers, the strategy offers the opportunity to build regional portfolios around emerging brands that align with evolving consumer preferences.

Why the United States Matters

The United States remains one of the most important proving grounds for global franchise brands. Consumer demand for convenience, healthy food options and digitally integrated ordering has created space for new fast-casual and quick-service concepts to grow quickly.

Texas in particular has become an attractive launchpad for emerging restaurant brands due to its population growth, multiple large metropolitan markets and relatively business-friendly regulatory environment.

For Oakberry, success in Texas would significantly strengthen its position within the North American market and help validate the scalability of its model outside Brazil and Europe.

A Franchise Model Built for Globalization

Oakberry’s broader growth trajectory illustrates how certain food concepts are increasingly designed with international franchising in mind from the start.

The brand controls key elements of its supply chain, including the sourcing and processing of açaí pulp in Brazil, allowing it to maintain product consistency while expanding across multiple continents.

At the same time, the store format remains relatively compact and operationally streamlined, making it easier for franchise developers to deploy locations in urban retail districts, shopping centers and fitness-oriented neighborhoods.

As wellness trends continue to shape global consumer behavior, the combination of a distinctive ingredient, a scalable operating model and a developer-led franchise strategy may give Latin American brands like Oakberry a powerful pathway into major international markets.