He's been pleased with the price they command, but also stresses that there are added costs of growing this particular variety. My cousin Will Gunnison is a fourth-generation apple farmer in New York's Champlain Valley who now grows Honeycrisps in some of his orchards. Instead, it's the farmers themselves who are reaping the benefits of Honeycrisp's popularity. The wholesale price of the apples is currently so high that the retailer actually takes a smaller profit margin on them than it does on other apples. Eric Stone, the produce buyer for Long Island City-based grocery delivery service Freshdirect, says that Honeycrisps aren't moneymakers for the company.

Where does the money go? You'd think into the pockets of retailers, but that's not the case. As demand has peaked in recent years, supply has lagged behind, sending prices up.

From the time an apple tree is planted, it takes at least five to six years for it to produce fruit in commercial quantities. But production can't just turn on the dime. After almost two decades of slow, steady growth, interest in Honeycrisps has skyrocketed in the past few years as consumers began to discover the apple in droves. Bedford says that studied under an electron microscope, Honeycrisp cells are twice the size of those of other apples, which accounts for their unique, pleasing texture.Īs for the hefty price, Bedford explains that the cost of Honeycrisps today is essentially a straight-up supply and demand story. This explosive crunchiness isn't simply a product of better freshness or farming practices - it's an actual genetic variation. It's what fruit folk call a great hand apple: phenomenal for biting into raw. Honeycrisps seem to inspire a devotion bordering on obsession from eaters who prize their sweet taste and distinct juiciness and snap (for evidence of this, just do a search for 'Honeycrisp' on Twitter). Honeycrisp has never had a national marketing campaign - it's truly a grassroots phenomenon. 'There are varieties that have garnered a 10 percent premium to standard pricing, and usually they have a promotional campaign behind them. 'I have absolutely never seen this price phenomenon with another apple,' says Bedford, a scientist at the University of Minnesota. In almost 400 years of cultivating apples on these shores, Honeycrisp may be the first true name-brand variety to hit the shelves - a designer apple, the first malus domestica to price out of a segment of the market.Įven David Bedford, the man responsible for creating the Honeycrisp 20 years ago (via good old-fashioned cross breeding, not nefarious genetic splicing and dicing), is astonished by the apple's success. With Galas and Romes and Granny Smiths and Red Deliciouses still going for a dollar and change per pound, the price of Honeycrisps - presently hovering around $4.50 a pound here in New York - is something previously unheard of in the scheme of apple pricing. I am talking, of course, about the Honeycrisp. For me, the first consumer good to send steam shooting out my ears was an apple, for the simple reason that, as the granddaughter and niece and cousin of New York State apple growers, I think I know what an apple should cost. It tends to happen over something really trivial, like postage stamps, or a vending machine candy bar, which makes your outsize fury seem all the more ridiculous. With exceptional flavor like no other fruit, Honeycrisp has rapidly become the most widely beloved apple in the United States since it’s introduction.I would argue that the first time you find yourself grumbling about prices these days marks a rite of passage on par with the shedding of baby teeth, tasting your first legal beer, or buying your first home. What’s great about the Honeycrisp Apple Tree? Once you’ve eaten a fresh Honeycrisp right off the tree, the apples from the grocery store won’t warrant a second glance. The large juicy fruit is the perfect balance of sweetness and just a hint of tart flavoring, with the most crisp and juicy texture among all apples. If you enjoy the flavor of store-bought Honeycrisp apples, then you will be absolutely blown away by those that are fresh-picked! This modern apple has already reached a legendary status and is among the most desired produce in the world today. The famed flavor of Honeycrisp apples is so uniquely flavorful and sweet that it almost requires no introduction.

Honey crisp