When picking an apple, do you prefer a Granny Smith, a Red Delicious, or maybe a Cosmic Crisp? The Cosmic Crisp apple, bred at Washington State University (WSU), first hit grocery stores in 2019. By 2024, it had rocketed to the eighth-most-produced apple in the country!
Kate Evans leads the WSU apple breeding program. Her team created the Cosmic Crisp by crossing the Honeycrisp with a variety bred for disease resistance. They wanted an apple that would thrive in Washington’s climate and had a good balance of tart and sweet flavors. The name Cosmic Crisp comes from the starlike pores that dot its skin.
The Cosmic Crisp’s stellar rise illustrates America’s changing tastes. For decades, Red Delicious was the most-produced apple in the U.S. But in 2019, Gala took the top spot. Meanwhile, production of newer varieties like Honeycrisp and Pink Lady has been slowly rising. “The thing about Cosmic Crisp is that it’s been such a rapid buildup,” Evans says. Though as the Cosmic Crisp’s popularity rises, others have taken a hit.
Evans hopes people continue to enjoy all types of apples. “We can get people eating more apples, and we can do that by producing better apples to give consumers better eating experiences,” she says.