How I Tripled My Sales in One Summer with Aki

Vendor Rafael from Guarujá shares how going digital transformed his açaí cart from a struggling side hustle into his primary income.

2026-02-14 — Rafael Mendes

My name is Rafael, and I've been selling açaí on the beaches of Guarujá for seven years. Last summer, everything changed when I joined Aki.

Before Aki, I relied entirely on people walking past my cart. Good weather meant good sales. Rain meant nothing. I had no way to build a customer base, no way to take orders in advance, and no way to know where to position myself for the best foot traffic.

The First Week

When my cousin showed me Aki, I was skeptical. I'm not a tech person. But the onboarding took less than 30 minutes and the support team helped me set up my menu with photos. By the end of the first week, I had 40 app orders on top of my regular walk-up sales.

What Changed

The biggest shift was pre-orders. Customers would order before leaving their apartments and pick up when they arrived at the beach. No waiting, no lost sales. My cart became a destination, not just a passerby stall.

By August, I was earning three times what I made the previous summer. I hired my sister to help. We're now saving to buy a second cart.

My Advice

Don't wait. The tourists are already on their phones — you need to be where they are. Aki put me there.