Achacha is a tropical fruit from Bolivia, but the world's first commercial cultivation is in Austral
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Deep in South America's Amazon Basin, the highly prized tropical fruit Acchairú has been cultivated for generations. But on other side of world - in Australia - Bolivian fruit, also known as Achacha, is grown on largest scale. Bruce and Helen Hill's Achacha Plantation in Giru, south of Townsville, is home to more than 15,000 trees. It is one of the world's largest commercial plantations of exotic fruit. Helen Hill and her husband Bruce were the first in the world to grow Achacha on a commercial scale. Why North Queensland? The Hills decided to grow the fruit after noticing that North Queensland and the Amazon Basin had a similar climate. “This is the first commercial Achacha plantation in the world,” says Ms. Hill. "They grow them very small quantities in the Amazon basin, maybe just three or four trees their backyard." Achachas in North Queensland are harvested in January. The fruit, which Ms. Hill says pronounced like a "cha cha" dance with an "A", was a labor of love for the couple. “I'm sure there are some people who have it in their backyards, but they lose interest after people find out that it takes seven or eight years to get fruit,” she says. "We were stupid enough to do it, we waited, and that's why we're the world's biggest breeder." Achacha has been bred for generations in the Amazon Basin of Bolivia. Vivian Lardi said encountering Achacha in Australia was like finding a "little piece of house". Vivian Lardi, who lives in Sydney, is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where Achacha was originally. “I grew up as a kid all my life and everybody has one of those trees in their yard or farm. "It's literally ubiquitous. People even sell it at traffic lights so you can get it on the way home." As Vice President of the Australian Bolivian Association, Ms. Lardi said finding Achacha in Australia had a profound impact on her community. “It feels like you're in your backyard, at your grandma's house, just eating Achacha,” she says. “It's a really weird feeling to feel that you have so much Bolivia in Australia, it's a totally mind-blowing and beautiful experience. Ms. Lardi said she was grateful for a chance and Achacha growing hills in Australia. “I don't think they know the impact they have had on the Bolivian community,” she says. "I never thought I would have Achacha in my wildest dreams, finding a tiny house here in Australia." Achacha fruit is sweet with an "acidic twist". Ms. Hill, who supplies the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne wholesale markets each year from late December to early April, said she couldn't keep up with demand. “When we first started, one person didn't know about this fruit, and now we have more demand than supply,” she says. If you manage to get your hands on it, Ms. Hill recommends a "pinch and pop" technique for eating the fruit. “What you have to do is puncture the outer skin, it's a bit like cellophane, and then you pop it off from the top and it's ready to eat,” she says. When it comes to taste, despite the fruit's low sugar content, Ms. Lardi says it's still a sweet hit. “It has a sweet flavor with a little acid twist at the end,” she says.