There’s a new apple making its way into South Africa’s fruit aisle, and it comes with a rather celestial name.
Cosmic Crisp, recognisable by its deep-red skin dotted with pale, star-like markings, is arriving exclusively at selected Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores following the first harvest from growers in Grabouw and Ceres in the Western Cape.
An apple with star power
Cosmic Crisp takes its name from the pale pores, known as lenticels, scattered across its deep-red skin, giving the apple an appearance reminiscent of stars against a night sky.
Originally developed by Washington State University in the US, the variety has become one of the world’s fastest-growing new apple varieties. After the first South African plantings in 2022, growers in the Western Cape are now bringing the inaugural local crop to shoppers.
Crisp, juicy and slow to brown
Cosmic Crisp was developed by crossing Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples, combining a crisp texture with a balanced sweet-tart flavour.
But one of its more practical qualities is what happens after you cut into it. The apple is naturally resistant to browning, making it suited to lunchboxes, salads and snacks that need to be prepared ahead of time.
Its crisp texture also holds up during storage, while the apple can be enjoyed fresh, sliced, baked, cooked or juiced.
Why Checkers is bringing it to South Africa
Red and blush apples already make up around 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 says Checkers saw an opportunity to introduce the variety to South African shoppers.
“After tasting Cosmic Crisp in the US, we recognised its potential for the South African market,” says Paladin. “It combines the sweetness, juiciness and crisp texture shoppers already enjoy with the added benefit of staying fresher for longer once cut.”
Another exclusive for the fruit aisle
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.
Through partnerships with growers and suppliers locally and internationally, the retailer says it is continuing to introduce new and unusual fruit varieties to South African shoppers.
For now, Cosmic Crisp is making its debut with the first locally grown harvest — bringing a crisp, sweet-tart apple with a distinctly starry appearance to selected Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores nationwide.
