The Cosmic Crisp apple, developed at Washington State University (WSU), has begun to gain traction outside the United States. It was developed through crosses between the Enterprise and Honeycrisp varieties, and its research and development work took about 20 years. It was initially commercially launched in the state of Washington in 2019.
In Chile, the San Clemente company obtained in 2018 the exclusive license to cultivate and export it to Latin America and other regions, becoming the only local producer of this variety. Since then, the company has been working on the propagation of plant material, the development of orchards, and the agronomic evaluation of the variety under Chilean conditions.
© San Clemente
According to Martín Toro, commercial manager of San Clemente, 2025 marks the first year of commercial production, with around 1.2 million kilos harvested from more than 50 hectares planted. This is also the first year that the country exports this variety. Brazil and Taiwan, two markets that demand large calibers, a dominant feature in this initial stage of production, were the first market destinations.
"Since these are the first harvests, the trees still have few fruits, which results in very large sizes. That helped us determine where to send the fruit," Toro stated. For 2025, the company is projecting growth in production, with around 50,000 boxes of 20 kilos expected by the end of the year, and new plantations already underway.
© San Clemente
Cosmic Crisp is characterized by its high productivity, good firmness, long post-harvest life (up to 10 months in cold storage), and a low incidence of defects, which facilitates packaging and marketing. According to Toro, Cosmic Crisp has been well received by consumers in the first tests in supermarkets in Chile, carried out in alliance with Walmart.
It's still too early to talk about prices, but the commercial strategy seeks to position this variety in a higher segment than the Gala apple, with prices similar to those of premium varieties such as Envy.
© San Clemente
San Clemente is part of the IPA Alliance, an international network of growers that includes companies from the United States, Italy, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, whose aim is to coordinate strategies for the introduction and marketing of new varieties on a global level.
For more information:
Martín Toro
San Clemente
Chile
Email: [email protected]
www.sclem.cl
