In the 11 months since its debut, Pitaya Plus has made significant strides in the distribution of its antioxidant-rich beverage. Despite hitting the market at a time when U.S. consumer knowledge of pitaya is very low (it’s more common name, dragon fruit, is a little better known), Pitaya Plus has resonated with natural foods retailers and consumers who have taken to its message of health and wellness and applauded the company’s focus on fair and sustainable business practices.

Inspirational former Notre Dame football icon Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger has agreed to pay nearly $400,000 in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges that he lied to…

Growth in the distribution of tea drinks in convenience store and natural foods channels as well as rising consumer demand for Fair Trade Certified tea products, will help propel U.S. sales of tea and ready-to-drink tea products to reach $8.3 billion by 2014, according to a new MarketResearch.com report. The report estimates that the U.S. tea market will reach $6.5 billion in sales in 2011, up 5.2 percent over last year, and steadily rise over the next three years.