Erin Jean McDowell visits Washington State University Bread Lab to explore the science of baking—and shares her signature apple crumb pie made with Cosmic Crisp® apples.
Watch the full episode HERE.
Sunrise Magic® faced a challenging growing season—but the 2025 in-store debut tells a different story. Exceptional fruit quality, standout storage performance, and enthusiastic feedback from domestic and international markets mark a strong start.
Read the full article from the October 10th E-edition of FreshPlaza HERE
Check out this article in the Good Fruit Grower by Lynnell Brandt, president of Proprietary Variety Management—the group behind the Cosmic Crisp program—and Jeremy Tamsen, director of commercialization at Washington State University. They explore how Cosmic Crisp production is scaling worldwide, driving brand awareness and growing demand across diverse markets.
Read the full article from the October issue of the Good Fruit Grower HERE
The global presence of Cosmic Crisp® apples continues to grow through carefully planned commercial plantings and strategic marketing regions. With partnerships across continents, the brand is positioning itself as a worldwide leader in premium apple production.
Washington State apple growers maintain the exclusive North American growing and marketing rights to ship Cosmic Crisp® apples from North America to wherever Washington apples may be exported. Contributions to the Washington State Apple Industry have hit a new high. (Please see chart).
As the PVM team travels around the world to review Cosmic Crisp® plantings, their direct feedback indicates that flavors and quality have been superb and is supporting the brand promise.
Global brand growth helps protect the international intellectual property associated with the WA 38 cultivar, including the Cosmic Crisp® brand, while assisting in market development: thanks in part to the assistance of the Washington Apple Commission. For this reason, the Washington State Cosmic Crisp® packaging and the PLU displays the world-famous Washington Apple Logo whenever possible.
From Europe to Asia, Oceania to the Americas, and Africa to the Middle East, Cosmic Crisp® WA 38 cv. is laying the foundation for truly global availability to be on the shelf the maximum period of time. With diverse partnerships and a wide-reaching marketing footprint, the apple is well on its way to
becoming a Global Brand.
The PVM Quality Team works closely with licensed Cosmic Crisp® packers and when we see a company that takes quality seriously, we want to share their example with the industry. We recently visited the packing facilities of Allan Bros., Inc., a 100-year-old tree fruit company based in Naches, Washington, USA and talked with Tony Garcia, the Director of Operations.
We asked Garcia why focusing on quality over quantity makes good business sense. He said, “Club varieties really have a leg up in this area of the business. When a brand consistently delivers high quality produce, and even exceeds the consumer’s expectations, then consumers and retailers pay attention. They are more motivated to purchase that brand again. So maintaining high quality is critical for us and our sales partner in getting repeat purchases and sustaining maximum revenue over the long-term.”
The focus on quality at Allan Bros. is seen throughout their entire operation. Monitors located all along the production line display a dashboard with their key QC metrics. “We have around 8 different inspection points throughout the receiving, packing, and shipping process combined,” explained Garcia. “And we have been investing in new technology to automate our sorting and grading processes. For example, in 2019, we upgraded our hybrid line and recently added AI capabilities to further increase accuracy and improve defect sorting.” The current system uses LUCAi™, which combines digital imaging systems with deep learning models and can automatically detect and classify defects in real-time.
Garcia also highlighted the benefits of their collaboration with PVM’s Quality Team. “The on-site packout visits, reference materials for brand quality standards, and comparison reports from across the industry that PVM provides, all of this help us with our end goal of finding ways to improve the quality and return for our growers.”
We encourage all licensed packers to reach out to our Quality Team to find out what they can do to improve and maintain high quality packouts. When everyone in the industry works to improve quality, then consumers purchase more, sales desks get higher prices, growers see better returns, and everyone in the value chain benefits.
All photos courtesy of Allan Bros., Inc.
