In the depths of South America's Amazon Basin, the achachairú, a highly prized tropical fruit, has been cultivated for generations.
But it's on the other side of the world — in Australia — that the Bolivian fruit, also known as achacha, is grown on the greatest scale.
Bruce and Helen Hill's achacha plantation in Giru, south of Townsville, is home to more than 15,000 trees.
It's one of the world's largest commercial plantations of the exotic fruit.
Why North Queensland?
The Hills decided to grow the fruit after realising North Queensland and the Amazon Basin had a similar climate.
"This is the very first commercial achacha plantation in the world," Ms Hill says.
"In the Amazon Basin they grow them in very small amounts, maybe just three or four trees in their backyard."
The fruit, which Ms Hill says to pronounce like the dance "cha cha" with an "a" in front, has been a labour of love for the couple.
"I'm sure there are some people that have it in their backyards but once people find out it takes seven or eight years to get fruit, they lose interest," she says.
"We were stupid enough to do it, we waited, and so we're the biggest grower in the world."
A sense of home
Vivian Lardi, who lives in Sydney, is from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where the achacha is originally from.
"I grew up all my life eating it as a child and everyone has one of those trees in their yard or on their farm. It is very common," she says.
"It is literally found everywhere. People even sell it at the traffic lights so you can get it on your way home."
As Australian Bolivian Association vice-president, Ms Lardi says finding achacha in Australia has had a profound impact on her community.
"It makes you feel like you're back in your backyard, in your grandma's home, just eating achacha," she says.
"It's a really bizarre feeling to feel like you are having something so Bolivian here in Australia, it is totally mind-blowing and a beautiful experience.
Ms Lardi says she was thankful for the Hills taking a chance and growing achacha in Australia.
"I don't think that they know the impact that they have made to the Bolivian community," she says.
"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would have achacha, finding it was finding a little piece of home here in Australia."
How can I eat it?
Supplying the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne wholesale markets from late December to early April every year, Ms Hill says she can't keep up with demand.
"When we first started, not one person knew 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 to eat the fruit.
"What you need to do is pierce the outside skin, it's a bit like cellophane, and then you pop it and take the top off and it's ready to eat," she says.
When it comes to the taste, despite the fruit's low sugar content, Ms Lardi says it still has a sweet kick.
"It has a sweet taste with a small acid twist at the end," she says.
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Achacha is a tropical fruit from Bolivia, but the world's first commercial plantation is in Australia - ABC News
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