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Washington State University made 300,000 Cosmic Crisp® apple trees available to growers this year, and the growers of these trees were picked through a random drawing. Growers who missed out on the lottery drawing will be able to purchase tree stock through WSU nurseries for delivery in 2018 and 2019.

Read the full article by Krem 2 News.

In a rich, photographic article, NPR covers how Cosmic Crisp® is poised to be the fastest launch of a new apple variety in history. The fast launch is in response to the fact that some varieties, most notably Red Delicious, are falling out of favor among American consumers.

And since part of PVM’s mission is to know what future consumer trends will be, it was able to identify the market viability of the new variety, Cosmic Crisp®.

In the article, Bruce Barritt, a retired apple breeder selected tree WA 38 (aka. Cosmic Crisp® ) among thousands because its, “crispness, juiciness, acidity, sugar; all that combined just doesn’t exist in any other variety,” he says.

See the stunning photos of Cosmic Crisp® plantings in Washington state in the NPR article, “This Is What It Looks Like When A New Apple Comes To Town,” by Dan Charles.

Cosmic Crisp® apples were recently featured in a Daily Record News article that discussed how hay fields in Kittitas are being bought and replanted with orchards.

Zirkle Fruit Company in Kittitas County found that weather conditions are milder there than in Yakima, and that leads to quality fruit.

In 2018, Zirkle Fruit Company is expected to plant the new Cosmic Crisp® apple that was created by Washington State University’s tree fruit breeding program. The Cosmic Crisp® has a firmer texture and more crisp bite than many other apple varieties, and it stores longer and is less susceptible to disease.

Read the full article: “New apple varieties and new orchards come to Kittitas” by Tony Buhr in the Daily Record.

It is the time of year consumers eagerly await the arrival of a fresh apple crop from Washington state.

“Consumers are initially attracted to their bright, bold coloring and unique names,” says Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing for Sage Fruit Company in Yakima, WA. “But what keeps them coming back in their appreciation for a sweet, juicy, and crunchy apple.”

Read “All Eyes on Washington” in Produce Business.

There is growing demand for Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, and the highly anticipated Cosmic Crisp® variety. In fact, more growers are integrating “club” or trademarked apple varieties into their crop mixes because consumers are demanding them.

Growth is especially vibrant in the organic category, as the public’s increasing focus on healthy diets and lifestyles become paramount.

Read more in “New apple varieties set the stage for strong season in Washington” in The Produce News.

We’re just a couple of weeks away from a new crop of apples; growers in the Yakima Valley of eastern Washington, whose 175,000 acres of orchards produce some 10% of the nation’s apples, are expecting to pick about 130 million boxes this year. All they need is a few cold (not freezing) nights before the fruit color sets and the field crews can move in.

This excerpt from an article by Ronald Holden, Forbes.com

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A free Intellectual Property Washington Summit for growers will be held Sept. 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Yakima, Washington.

Lynnell Brandt, left, president of Proprietary Variety Management, discussed licensing and grade standards of Cosmic Crisp® apples during a field day in September in Quincy, Washington.

The event will feature presentations by Proprietary Variety Management, a patent attorney, a trademark attorney, an expert on product naming and brand development, and an expert on enforcement topics with the U.S. Department of Justice. One of the featured speaker is Lynnell Brandt, left, president of Proprietary Variety Management.

The event will be held in two identical, three-hour sessions, one starting at 9 a.m. and another starting at 1 p.m. Attendance for each seminar is limited to 40 people.

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After 30 years, Washington state apple growers about to launch the biggest release of a new apple variety…ever. The Cosmic Crisp® will start appearing in Washington state orchards, with up to 12 million trees to be planted by 2020 and the first harvest in 2019.

The Cosmic Crisp® got its start in the 1980s when Dr. Bruce Barritt was hired by Washington State University (WSU) to develop better varieties than Red Delicious and Golden Delicious varieties.

How does the Cosmic Crisp® apple taste? “The apple has got great flavor,” says Stemilt Growers president, West Mathison. “The crunch is really consistent. There’s more strength in the connective tissue of the cells than the cell walls themselves, so your teeth break through the cells and flavor, and juice is released. It has a unique flavor – sweet but not too sweet.”

Read the original article in The Guardian, “Cosmic crisp – a new apple to get your teeth into.”

Washington state will likely be the leader in organic apples in 2017. Approximately 10.8 million bushels of organic apples were harvested in the 2016-17 apple season, and estimates call for 13 million bushels this year.

In conjunction with growing demand for organic apples is the newest Washington variety, Cosmic Crisp. With Cosmic Crisp® joining the Washington apple collection, consumers can expect to see fruit in stores as early as 2019.

Read “Washington apple industry sees rise in organics and a new variety” in The Produce News.