Ambrosia apple patent to expire this month, opening the variety to all growers
The variety, developed by a Canadian orchard family from a chance seedling, is managed by Summerland Varieties Corporation of Summerland, British Columbia.
Since 2005, McDougall & Sons of Wenatchee, Washington, has held the exclusive U.S. license to produce Ambrosias, though a few orchardists who had been growing the apple before that were allowed to continue under a grandfather clause.
With 1.2 million boxes shipped, the Ambrosia already was Washington’s 10th most popular apple in the 2015-2016 season, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.
It’s British Columbia’s second most common apple with 460,000 42-pounds boxes packed in 2014, according to the province’s Ministry of Agriculture.
source: goodfruit.com
