Cosmic Crisp apples debut in South Africa
After tasting Cosmic Crisp in the US, Paladin said Checkers saw an opportunity to introduce the variety to South African shoppers.
SOUTH AFRICA – Cosmic Crisp apples have launched in South Africa, available exclusively at selected Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores, following the first local harvest from growers in Grabouw and Ceres in the Western Cape.
The apple takes its name from the pale pores, known as lenticels, scattered across its deep-red skin, creating an appearance reminiscent of stars against a night sky, according to Checkers.
Developed by Washington State University in the United States, the variety has become one of the world’s fastest-growing new apple varieties. Following the first South African plantings in 2022, Western Cape growers are now bringing the inaugural local crop to shoppers.
Cosmic Crisp was developed by crossing Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples, combining a crisp texture with a balanced sweet-tart flavor, according to Checkers.
One of its practical qualities is its natural resistance to browning after cutting, making it well suited to lunchboxes, salads, and snacks prepared ahead of time. Its crisp texture also holds up during storage, and the apple can be enjoyed fresh, sliced, baked, cooked, or juiced.
Red and blush apples already account for about 60% of Checkers’ apple sales, according to Quintin Paladin, general manager of Freshmark, Checkers’ fruit and vegetable procurement and distribution arm.
After tasting Cosmic Crisp in the US, Paladin said Checkers saw an opportunity to introduce the variety to South African shoppers.
“After tasting Cosmic Crisp in the US, we recognized its potential for the South African market,” Paladin said.
“It combines the sweetness, juiciness and crisp texture shoppers already enjoy with the added benefit of staying fresher for longer once cut.”
Cosmic Crisp joins Checkers’ growing collection of exclusive fruit varieties, which includes Pink Lemons, Finger Limes, The Alizza Fruit, and the award-winning Onix citrus.
In addition, through partnerships with growers and suppliers, both locally and internationally, the retailer says it continues to introduce new and unusual fruit varieties to South African shoppers.
Finally, for now, Cosmic Crisp is making its debut with the first locally grown harvest, bringing a crisp, sweet-tart apple with a starry appearance to select Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores nationwide.
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