A family-run Aberdeen business is gearing up to take its authentic açaí bowls beyond its city centre café with the launch of a new mobile food trailer.
Jungle Berry Açaí, led by 25-year-old entrepreneur Otavio De Freitas Ferreira and his mother and business partner, Angela, has purchased a new trailer as it prepares to expand its offering in Aberdeen and beyond.
Subject to licensing approval, the trailer’s preferred fixed location will be Aberdeen Beach. It will also enable the business to attend events, operate from approved private sites, provide corporate catering and support the growth of the Jungle Berry franchise across Scotland.
Made using premium açaí berries sourced from the Amazon rainforest, the business’s signature smoothie bowls are known for their vibrant purple colour and can be customised with more than 30 toppings, including strawberries, coconut flakes, granola and Biscoff spread. The business also offers smoothies, coffee, cold drinks and other light refreshments.
Originally from Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Otavio moved to Aberdeen in 2020 after beginning his hospitality career working alongside his older brother, Matheus. He later progressed into senior hospitality management roles in the city, including positions at Estabulo and Miller & Carter, before moving into business ownership.
Jungle Berry Açaí began as a deeply personal family project. Following the loss of Matheus in 2022, Otavio and Angela were visiting London when they searched for a comforting taste of home. They discovered a Jungle Berry café nearby and reconnected with açaí – one of Matheus’s favourite foods. The experience brought back memories of Brazil, family and friends and inspired them to bring the business to Aberdeen.
Otavio later secured the Jungle Berry master franchise rights for Scotland, before he and Angela opened Jungle Berry’s first café in Scotland at 409 Union Street in August 2025. After a successful first year, the new trailer marks the next stage in the business’s growth.
To support the expansion, Otavio received a £25,000 loan through the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, delivered by DSL Business Finance. The funding has enabled the purchase and preparation of the trailer, specialist refrigeration and catering equipment, initial stock, branding, licensing and compliance costs, as well as working capital to help the business grow.
Otavio said: “Jungle Berry started during an incredibly difficult period for our family, but it has grown into something really positive. My mum and I wanted to create a business that reflected our Brazilian background while providing a welcoming and healthy place for people in Aberdeen.
“Just over a year since the opening of the Union Street café, the trailer represents the next stage of that journey. It gives us a more flexible and lower-overhead way to reach customers at approved outdoor locations, events and private sites, with Aberdeen Beach remaining our preferred fixed location subject to licensing approval. The Start Up Loan helped us turn the idea into a real business asset. It allowed us to purchase and prepare the trailer while building on the existing infrastructure and experience we already have at Union Street.”
In the future, Otavio hopes to continue growing the Jungle Berry brand throughout Scotland by supporting new franchises, while also creating more opportunities to bring healthy food to communities through mobile trading, events and corporate catering.
Barry McCulloch, Senior Manager, Local Growth Team, British Business Bank, said: “It’s fantastic to see Jungle Berry Açaí capitalise on the success of its café as it prepares for the next stage of its growth. Otavio has built a business with a strong personal story at its heart, and the new trailer will give Jungle Berry the flexibility to reach even more customers while supporting its longer-term ambitions across Scotland. We’re pleased the Start Up Loans programme has been able to support this expansion and look forward to seeing the business continue to flourish.”
Since its launch in 2012, the Start Up Loans programme has provided more than £3m to business owners based in Aberdeen and more than £4m across Aberdeenshire. Across Scotland, the programme has delivered 9,158 loans worth more than £90m to smaller businesses.
Rekha Welsh, loan officer at DSL Business Finance, said: “At DSL Business Finance, we see first-hand the difference that practical financial support can make when an entrepreneur has a clear plan for their business. Otavio had a very clear purpose for the funding, with the Start Up Loan helping to fund the trailer, equipment, stock and associated set-up costs. He has a real passion for the business and has drawn on his hospitality experience to create something distinctive in Aberdeen. It has been a pleasure for DSL Business Finance to support Otavio through the Start Up Loans programme and see those plans being put into practice.”