Native to Mexico, Central and South America, the pitaya—also known as dragon fruit—is very sweet and high in fiber and antioxidants.
At New York City juice bar, Juice Generation, consumers can purchase a drink called “Pink Pitaya,” a hot pink beverage made of pitaya pulp from Nicaragua and served in a coconut shell from Thailand. Juice Generation founder and chief executive officer Eric Helms purchased exclusive import rights for the fruit for a year, and currently stores two full crops of the pulp in warehouses in Philadelphia.
“People have been very receptive,” says Helms who is also credited with spurring a mangosteen frenzy in 2007. “It is very low in sugar, which makes it so healthy, and it’s mixed with coconut which is also very of the moment.”