More Americans biting into Cosmic Crisp apples
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 16th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PULLMAN – For the first time, the Washington State University-bred Cosmic Crisp apple has joined the ranks of the top 10 best-selling U.S. apple varieties.
A review of Nielsen supermarket sales data by Proprietary Variety Management, the Yakima-based company contracted by WSU to commercialize the new variety, found sales and volume for the apple at new heights. From Sept. 1, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2023, Cosmic Crisp ranked 10th by volume and eighth in total sales value of all the apples sold in the United States.
The top ten varieties also included Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Red Delicious, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Envy, and Ambrosia.
Cosmic Crisp is the brand name for the WA 38 apple variety, originally bred at WSU’s Wenatchee research station in 1997. WSU researchers evaluated WA 38 against other contenders for more than a decade before releasing it to growers in 2017. The first crop went on sale to consumers in December 2019.
Photo via Washington State University
