A new apple variety bred in the United States has made its South African debut. Growers in Grabouw and Ceres in the Western Cape have produced the country's first Cosmic Crisp crop, which is now on sale exclusively at selected Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores nationwide while stocks last, Food for Mzansi reports.

Cosmic Crisp was developed by Washington State University from a cross between Enterprise and Honeycrisp and has gained ground quickly in international markets. The first South African plantings went into the ground in 2022; four years on, the inaugural local harvest has reached consumers.

The name comes from the fruit's deep-red skin, scattered with pale lenticels, or pores, that look like stars against a night sky. What sets the variety apart, though, is what happens after it is cut: it resists browning and keeps its crisp texture in storage, which suits it to lunchboxes, prepared salads, snacking, baking, cooking and juicing.

Quintin Paladin, general manager of Freshmark, the fruit and vegetable procurement and distribution arm of Checkers, said the retailer's attention was caught after tasting the apple in the US. "Red and blush apples account for around 60% of our apple sales, making them a clear favourite among our customers," he said, adding that Cosmic Crisp combines the sweetness, juiciness and crispness South African consumers already know with longer freshness after cutting.

The variety joins the retailer's range of exclusive fruit, which includes Pink Lemons, Finger Limes, The Alizza Fruit and ONIX citrus. For apple growers, the arrival of a new variety is a chance to respond to changing consumer tastes while adding diversity to an established industry; for the orchards in Grabouw and Ceres, the simpler headline is that a fruit developed on the other side of the world is now being grown and harvested in South Africa.

Source: Food for Mzansi