A striking rosy-skinned, red-fleshed apple named Kissabel is set to tempt fruit lovers back to eating an apple a day to revive market share.The Kissabel is a brand of apple, rather than a variety, produced across Australia's apple-growing districts.The apple's select growers pay a royalty to the plant breeder and a levy is used to promote the brand name.Over two decades, plant breeders bred out much of the astringency and added size, texture and flavour.
"The price we're getting today for most of our apples is the same as we were getting 10 years ago," he said. That has made some older, unfashionable varieties very hard to sell, and rising production costs have put the squeeze on producers.But it takes time to identify a variety, assess its potential, secure proprietary rights, plant the trees and then wait at least three years for the first crop of apples.After years scouring apple growing regions around the globe, Matt Palise of Rich Red Fruits said he found a gem in the form of a crisp red apple called a Cosmic Crisp.
He said consumers would find it to be crisp and juicy, with the right balance of acidity and sweetness.Since 2021, Red Rich Fruits has overseen the planting of more than half a million Cosmic Crisp apple trees at Manjimup in Western Australia, Batlow in New South Wales, and the Yarra Valley in Victoria.Ten years in the making, the Insta-worthy Kissabel apple is a cross between a crabapple and a traditional eating apple.
"There's 21 new apple varieties that are about to hit the market over the next three to five years," Mr Palise said.While high labour and input costs make Australia one of the most expensive apple producers in the world, growers say the new premium brands will open export opportunities, especially into Asia.