What’s at the core of WSU’s new apple variety name delay?

It will be WSU’s second new apple launch in a decade, after the 2019 debut of Cosmic Crisp. In just five years, thanks partly to a strong marketing campaign and robust planting, Cosmic Crisp has grown to be one of the state’s highest-volume varieties.  

A crossbreed of Enterprise and Honeycrisp also grown exclusively in Washington, it is expected to make up 9% of 2024’s estimated 124 million 40-pound box crop, according to figures from the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. That’s notable growth from 2023, when it was 6% of the crop. The variety was among the top 10 best-selling apple varieties in the U.S. by sales and volume, according to WSU, citing Nielsen data. 

However, the consumption of fresh apples has suffered a decades-long decline that may not be fixable with a few new varieties. In 2022, per capita consumption of fresh apples in the U.S. was 15.8 pounds, well below the 1989 figure of more than 21 pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.