The 3-gallon açaí tub, straight from the manufacturer.

At a glance

Why the 3-gallon tub is the foodservice standard

For açaí shops, smoothie bars and restaurants, the 3-gallon tub is the best balance of unit cost, freezer footprint and serving speed: scoop or blend straight from the tub. Operations with tighter freezer space or lower volume start on the 1-gallon tub and step up.

Why ours costs less without being 'cheap'

Vibe Açaí is not a reseller brand: the same group grows the açaí on the largest private açaí farm in Brazil (Açaí Amazonas, Pará — planted since 2004), freezes and processes it in its own FSSC 22000-certified, FDA-registered plant, and imports and distributes it in the US through Vibe Acai America LLC under a documented FSVP program. One owner from seed to pallet — no trading companies, no white-label factories, no middleman margin. That vertical structure is why the wholesale price is competitive without touching quality.

If you don't want frozen logistics

The same açaí is also available as a shelf-stable powder: see açaí soft serve mix wholesale — one 1 kg pouch makes a 1-gallon batch in any standard soft serve machine, ships dry and ambient, and needs no freezer until it is made.

What one tub actually yields

The flagship tub is 3 gallons — 11.3 litres of finished açaí sorbet, ready to scoop or blend with no prep. Using the same 150 ml serving we use to quote the soft serve mix, that is roughly 75 servings per tub. Shops that build a heavier bowl land nearer 55; kiosks running a smaller cup get past 90. Run your own portion size against 11.3 L and you have your true cost per serving, which is the only number worth comparing between suppliers.

At pallet level the arithmetic matters more: 112 tubs travel on a pallet of the 3-gallon format (confirmed on quote for your lane). That is about 1,265 litres of sorbet, or in the order of 8,000 servings moving on a single pallet — the reason distributors and multi-unit operators buy this format rather than the 1-gallon.

Storage, shelf life and what that buys you

Shelf life is 18 months from production at −18 °C (0 °F) or colder. Do not refreeze after thawing. Eighteen months is long enough that a pallet bought on a good lane does not become a race against the date — you can buy on price and freight rather than on urgency, which is most of the advantage of holding frozen inventory in the first place.

Inventory sits frozen in US warehouses, and can be released by the pallet or half pallet for pickup at our cold warehouse if you would rather use your own freight and take our delivered margin out of the equation. For operators without freezer space, that same açaí exists as a shelf-stable powder — see the açaí soft serve mix, which ships dry and ambient.

Where the 3-gallon tub sits against retail-brand pricing

An operator trying frozen açaí for the first time usually buys one tub. Online, the leading brands run roughly $100 to $126 for a 3-gallon tub — and it still has to arrive frozen, which is charged separately. We sell the same format at manufacturer level: our group grows the fruit on its own farms in Pará, makes the sorbet in its own FSSC 22000-certified, FDA-registered plant, and imports it under its own FSVP programme. There is no importer, broker or middleman margin inside that chain, which is where the difference in landed cost comes from. Ask for pricing on your volume and lane and compare it against what you pay today.

Frequently asked questions

More buyer guides