Washington's apple growers diversify their orchards

Washington State University spent 20 years developing their new release the Cosmic Crisp apple; for…

Washington State University spent 20 years developing their new release the Cosmic Crisp apple; for at least one decade, it will be available for planting only to Washington farmers. The restriction is a sign of the increasingly fragmented apple industry, where major growers are diversifying their orchards, aiming to cash in on the premium prices of licensed niche apples.

"We used to grow all Red Delicious and Golden Delicious." said Steve Lutz of Columbia Marketing International, a marketing firm owned by apple producers. "We're taking what used to be a macro-market and cutting into smaller and smaller pieces with these new varietal apples."

The shift from relying on the Red Delicious brand became urgent after the Washington industry tanked in the 1990s, losing hundreds of millions of dollars and prompting a federal government bailout. Back then many reasons were given for the slump, but chief among them was an oversupply of apples, especially the Red Delicious.

While the industry has recovered, reminders of its pitfalls were seen last year, when a combination of factors, including the West Coast ports shutdown and a high yield, led to the jarring image of millions of pounds of apples, mostly Reds and Goldens, left to rot in fields.

In 1999, Red Delicious accounted for 51 percent of the share nationwide sales. By 2015, that number had dropped to 25 percent, according to data from the Washington Tree Fruit Association.

Cosmic Crisp will join Kiku, Ambrosia, JAZZ, Opal, Braeburn, Pacific Rose, Snapdragon, SweetTango and other trademarked varieties aiming to take a bigger slice of the consumer market, which already includes the well-established Fuji, Gala and HoneyCrisp. Many of these varieties were developed through breeding programs in New Zealand, Canada, Japan and Europe.

American farmers have responded by partnering with universities. WSU is developing apples beyond the Cosmic Crisp, while Cornell University introduced the Snapdragon and RubyFrost, and the University of Minnesota made its mark with the highly successful HoneyCrisp, which became one of the best sellers nationwide.

The staple varieties, however, are still moneymakers, and make up the biggest chunk of the apples exported.