Produce Services of Los Angeles is thrilled to be a wholesale Pitaya Plus frozen pitaya distributor.  Not only is pitaya fruit an incredible, all-natural, low-sugar superfruit, but the company that first brought frozen pitaya smoothie packs to the United States is pretty amazing too – here’s their story:

From Nicaraugauan NGO Internship to 

While Pitaya Plus was officially co-founded by Chuck Casano in 2010, the story of this socially-conscious California-based importer started a few years earlier, and it’s an interesting one!

After completing his MBA, Chuck travel led to Nicaragua to complete a 7-month fellowship with Agora Partnerships, a multi-national NGO that addresses social and environmental challenges through economic development. While in Nicaragua, Chuck discovered pitaya – a brightly-colored tree fruit that’s a close cousin to the Dragon Fruit (they look the same on the outside, but pitaya is sweeter, it’s flesh is flaming pink, and it has more nutrients than it’s oriental look-alike). He enjoyed daily pitaya smoothies, juices and raw fruit sold from small roadside stands, quickly realizing that this great-tasting all-natural treat gave him energy to burn during his frequent surfing trips.

Transforming Lives With Frozen Pitaya Smoothie Packs

After completing his fellowship, Chuck returned to the U.S., where he paired up with Ben Hiddlestone to launch Pitaya Plus. Together they developed a vision of a socially-responsible venture, one that puts profits directly into the hands of the poverty-stricken communities where this superfruit grows. Pitaya Plus knew that in order to make the greatest impact in Central America, they needed to support single mothers, because numerous studies have shown that when moms are supported, entire communities thrive.

To that end, Chuck and Ben set to work building a network of processing plants and piyata farms throughout Central America to supply frozen pitaya smoothie packs to the North American market. They focused on hiring single moms, impoverished farmers from rural areas and others who were eager to make a better lives for themselves and their families – people who were normally passed over for any type of meaningful employment.

While recruiting a largely unproven workforce was quite the gamble for Piyata Plus, it’s paid off for everyone involved: the employees have stable, permanent jobs that provide a real living wage for themselves and their families, and Piyata Plus has a built an incredible team filled with happy, healthy and hard-working people! The communities where Piyata Plus operates have reaped the benefits as well – previously impoverished children now have access to education, the local economies have grown, and the overall standard of living has improved.

Eco-Conscience, Organic, GMO-Free & Sustainable

The dedication of Pitaya Plus to make a difference in the world doesn’t stop at social responsibility – this wildly successful company is also committed to using renewable energy whenever possible. They operate a solar-powered factory (a rarity in Central America) and work directly with each of their producers to ensure compliance with USDA organic farming standards and practices.

In just a few short years, this remarkable supplier has quickly grown to become the leading producer of raw, organic frozen pitaya for export to the U.S. They currently employ over 150 single moms in Central America, paying wages that are above the state-regulated minimums. Pitaya Plus has also partnered with more than 250 organic pitaya farmers, providing sustainable, long-term employment throughout many impoverished areas in a country that is known for it’s poverty, ongoing wars, and most recently, devastating earthquakes.

The team at Piyata Plus is dedicated to making their frozen pitaya smoothie packs the best in the business – in addition to being all-natural, organic and non-pasteurized, their entire product line has been verified as GMO-free by the Non-GMO Project. This, along with the incredibly high nutritional value of pitayas and their undeniably great taste makes Pitaya Plus products a huge hit with health-conscience consumers.

So the next time you place an order with your PSLA, LA’s favorite wholesale Pitaya Plus distributor, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that not only are you bringing an amazing product to your customers, you are also helping to make real, tangible changes in the lives of those need a hand up, not a hand out.