Covered in spines and hiding a rich, colorful pulp, pitayas are an important fruit in Mexico.
A batch of 4,000 pitayas can sell for over $7,400.
Getting your hands on some in the US can cost up to $22 for a bucket of 5 fruits.
Covered in spines and hiding a rich, colorful pulp, the pitaya, a type of dragon fruit, can make or break the economy of entire towns in Mexico during the growing season, when a batch of 4,000 pitayas can sell for over $7,400. Getting your hands on some in the US can cost up to $22 for a bucket of five fruits. Pitayas are hard work. They are extremely delicate and go bad quickly. Workers must pick, despine, and transport the pitayas all in a single day to ensure they reach customers without spoiling. So what makes this fruit worth the painstaking task? And why is it so expensive?