Cosmic Crisp Popularity
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. For now, it’s only grown in Washington state, but the Cosmic Crisp apple is becoming a favorite for consumers everywhere.
Michael Schadler, president of the Washington Apple Commission, says its popularity has skyrocketed in just six years …
SCHADLER … “It was such an unprecedented launch of a new apple, right. I mean, just the sheer volume that went into the ground, right out of the gate. I don’t think there’s ever been an apple variety, maybe even a new variety of any fruit that has had such an exponential increase in a short amount of time.”
And, Shadler says we’ve been able to keep up with the growing demand …
SCHADLER … “So, it was always going to be a challenge to market when you sell that kind of an increase in just a matter of a few years. But the markets caught up with it and consumers like it, so it looks like it’s going to be a long-term winner.”
FOB pricing, Schadler says was a concern …
SCHADLER … “But the Cosmic crop in 2025 was 23% bigger than the 2024 crop and pricing was a lot stronger, as far as FOB pricing, so I mean that’s a nice combination.”
Which isn’t really “normal” …
SCHADLER … “Usually, when you get that kind of big spike in volume, price goes the opposite direction. But this was a year where you got a big increase in volume and pricing was strong as well. So, pricing actually increased quite a bit year-over-year on Cosmic.”
And that, Schadler says did make things a bit more challenging in export markets.
