WENATCHEE, WA - Stemilt has been awarded the license to grow, pack, and market a new, early to ripen apple cultivar by the University of Minnesota. This new cultivar, currently known as MN55, will be the first variety to harvest in Washington State and go to market come 2017.
MN55 is a cross between Honeycrisp and an unreleased variety labeled as AA44, or sometimes known as MonArk. The new cultivar has exceptional flavors, color, and fracture, according to a press release.
“We have a small block of trees that will produce small volumes of fruit come 2017, and a larger planting that will increase volumes for 2018 and beyond. We are thrilled at the prospect of having a high dessert quality apple that will reinvent the month of August for the apple category,” said Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director for Stemilt. “MN55 is very juicy and sweet and holds excellent pressures. These are unusual qualities for such an early apple to possess, and the exact qualities that consumers have come to love in an apple.”
In the coming months, Stemilt and the University of Minnesota will work in conjunction to develop a new trademark name for the apple.
“It’s going to be fun to name an apple that will have so much appeal to the marketplace,” continued Pepperl. “It will be a signal for an early coming to the apple season, and hold a great position in back-to-school promotions in order to boost the apple category during a time of year that has previously gone untapped.”
MN55 has a rich 17 year history that includes 5-6 years of rigorous testing across multiple locations in the U.S. David Bedford, research scientist for the University of Minnesota apple breeding program, commented that MN55 “represents our goal of developing new apple varieties that will give the consumer a memorable eating experience.”
This new cultivar is sure to be a real winner among consumers thanks to its unique character. With a similar, yet more defined flavor as Honeycrisp, and AA44’s characteristic to ripen early, yet color well, this is one apple cultivar I’m definitely looking forward to.
