How Honeycrisp changed the apple market
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
How do you like them apples? We're guessing sweet and tart: Honeycrisp has become the gold standard of apples.
Why it matters: Honeycrisp "changed everything," says Jim Bair, the president and CEO of USApple.
- It reshaped the apple market. Before Honeycrisp's rise, spending more than 99 cents per pound of apples was unthinkable. Today, people will pay triple that, he says.
By the numbers: Since 2011, production of Honeycrisp apples has increased roughly fivefold nationally, per USApple data
- Honeycrisps are the highest-priced variety for grower and consumer: They average $2.16 per pound, while Galas and Red Delicious retail for under $1.40, per the USDA.
- Between the lines: After a Honeycrisp drop in 2024, with growers trying to figure out how to smooth out production, "you can expect volumes to continue to increase," says James Williams, a business development manager at United Apple Sales.
Zoom in: The thin skin that makes Honeycrisp so tasty also makes them a pain to grow.
- They grow slowly, bruise easily and need to be picked multiple times in a two-week period, Williams says.
Yes, but: Apple grower and Cornell University pomology professor emeritus Ian Merwin tells Axios that quality has dipped in recent years, for a couple of reasons.
- One factor is that many Honeycrisp are now grown in climates too warm to produce the best flavors.
Meanwhile the simple, soft and sometimes mealy McIntosh has gotten less popular nationally in recent years, with consumers preferring apples with crisp and tangy flavor, à la Honeycrisp.
What we're watching: One of the newer apple varieties with Honeycrisp parentage could be the next big thing.
- See: Cosmic Crisp, SnapDragon, Evercrisp, Sunflare and First Kiss.
Thought bubble: If you ask a roomful of people what the best apple is, brace for chaos.
- The fruit inspires fierce loyalty, maybe because it's reliable, personal and everywhere. Apples are like "the Toyota Corolla of the fruit category," says Williams.
- You can give one to the teacher, eat it in your patriotic pie, have one a day to avoid the doctor, order one in the cafeteria or leave one on the counter or in your bag for days before it goes bad.
- And you probably have fond memories of picking them sometime around National Apple Day, Oct. 21.
