Horticulturists Hope New Climate Change-Resistant Apple Grows on Consumers

If you’ve crunched on a Cosmic Crisp apple at any point in the last eight years, you know what scientists at Washington State University (WSU) are capable of. Now the team that invented the tasty hybrid is rolling out a new type of apple. They call it the Sunflare.

Cosmic Crisps were first grown and marketed in 2019. They became a near-instant hit. They were bred to be the perfect blend of crunchy, tart, and sweet. The variety accounted for 22.5 million new tree plantings in 2025. It earned WSU $8 million in licensing fees. Like many apples, though, Cosmic Crisps are vulnerable to heat, drought, and other effects of climate change. That’s why the fruit tree specialists at WSU have been hard at work on apples that can withstand our warming world.

Sunflares are a yellowish pink. They are produced by crossing the DNA of Honeycrisp apples and Cripps Pinks. Honeycrisps are known for their juiciness and crunch. Cripps Pinks are more tart. They resist sunburning and have a much longer shelf life. Sunflare trees take about a decade to grow. They won’t be available to consumers until 2029 or so. But early taste tests and shelf life trials have proven so promising that farmers in Washington state have already started bidding on seeds.

Produce sellers have noted that the apple market is crowded already. But a new type that can stay shelf stable, handle shipping, and resist climate change is just what the doctor ordered, they say. Tariffs and trade wars have forced American growers to find new ways to get their products to other countries while keeping costs down.

Reflect: If you could design something new to help people in the future, what would you create, and how would it make life easier?

Photo of Sunflare apples courtesy Washington State University press release/Jeremy K. Tamsen.