The feedback he’s getting is mostly positive - less plural than near unanimous. Despite the Cosmics’ advantages for growers and packers - bred for Washington’s climate, easier to pick, less wastage, longer lasting in storage, doesn’t brown when cut - his concern is not for the industry but the consumer. Some people like tart, some like sweet, others are very attached to their longtime favorites. ![]() He’s delighted to see the consuming public eat his baby.īut Barritt reiterates that the Cosmic will not please everyone. I have written before that he has the look and energy of Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on the eve of a big game. Barritt, who lives in British Columbia, having retired from Washington State University (for which he created the apple), is bright and engaging. ![]() The place was packed with shoppers and an endless number of women pushing large carts that made the interior of the store resemble the crowded parking lot outside, where vehicles were circling and jockeying for position. I recently met up with Barritt at the QFC in Seattle’s University Village, where he was handing out Cosmic slices and getting responses from the shoppers. We also have to remember the phrase used by food scientists, ‘the plural nature of perfection’ meaning not everyone likes the same thing.” In an email to me shortly after launch in December, Barritt wrote, “Expectations are so high for CC that some will be disappointed. If so, it’s a phase that can’t be ignored.Ĭontrary to Judd’s quip that everyone’s going to have to love it, the apple’s inventor, Bruce Barritt, whose business card identifies him as the “Breeder of the Cosmic Crisp,” is not expecting universal love. Facebook friends of mine have weighed in with attitudes ranging from “where can I get them” to “I’m sticking with the Jonagolds.” A grower in Wenatchee who specializes in “heirloom” apples was reported to have said the Cosmic is just a phase. Seattle Times writer Ron Judd joked on Twitter: “Cosmic Crisp Motto: ‘You’re going to love it whether you like it or not.’” On Facebook, Judd also referred to them as “Copper River Apples,” alluding to the aggressively branded Alaskan salmon. Naturally, there is some cynicism around the effort, at least judging by some social media response. You can calculate the weight of the coming expectations from there. To give a sense of scale, a box of apples weighs 42 pounds, so this year’s 450,000-box output equals about 19 million pounds of apples. Consider this ramp-up, according to projections provided by the apple’s marketer, Proprietary Variety Management: 2 million boxes next year, nearly 6 million the next, over 10 million the next, 14 million the next and on up to over 21 million boxes by 2026. The output is modest compared with the brand’s ambitions. This batch of apples comes mostly from trees that growers planted three years ago. It was big, red and perfect, except the price - $5 for a single apple! My wife bought a single organic Cosmic at a co-op on Capitol Hill. I’ve seen them selling for everything from $1.99 a pound to nearly $5 a pound. In the weeks since, Cosmics have been flying off grocery shelves at a wide array of prices. The push for the first commercial crop to reach market - about 450,000 boxes of apples picked this fall - kicked off Dec. The Cosmic Crisp came with a five-year, $10.4 million marketing budget to turn it into Washington’s premier apple. This is our chance to bond - or not - with what could be the new platonic ideal of appleness. While the Cosmic is an apple with international ambitions competing on a global stage, Washington is currently the center of the apple’s universe.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |