Because it is home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet, Brazil enjoys a wealth of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In recent decades, governments and NGOs have focused onthese products as a source of income for rural communities and traditional populations, aswell as to help preserve and sustainably manage forests. In the south of the country, Araucariaforests are comprised of native fruit trees with significant use potential, such as gabiroba(Campomanesia spp.). But these species are being neglected because of a lack of studies.Within the context of participative preservation, the Conservabio Project (led by EmbrapaFlorestas) worked together with communities living around the national forests in southernBrazil to select priority species, including gabiroba. Besides establishing active germplasmbanks for this species, producers also requested other topics to be addressed, such asstandardizing pulp, developing new products, post-harvest preservation technology,propagation methods, and description of different morphotypes. Studies have verified highlevels of vitamin C, indicating gabiroba has the third-highest levels of this compound amongBrazilian fruit. They also found high levels of phenolic compounds, particularly carotenoids,high pulp yields, intense yellow coloring with dye potential, storage stability, and a veryattractive smell and flavor. All these attributes will be addressed in the continuation of thisresearch project, which includes genetic, physical, and chemical characterization of thegabiroba morphotypes in the active germplasm banks to identify superior material in the areasof food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, define vegetation propagation methods that willpermit commercial plantings or remediation of degraded areas and environmental use,recommend post-harvest technologies to extend useful life, stability studies on gabiroba pulpto ensure quality (since this product is highly valued in the market because it spans variousfood groups), and finally to develop natural products such as gluten-free cookies and yellowfood coloring. The outcomes could extend beyond traditional communities to other classes ofproducers including family farmers, with the possibility to sell the pulp to school lunchprograms or specific retail segments.