INN Named Licensing Partner For New WSU Apple

Washington State University announced last week that International New-Varieties Network LLC of Ephrata, WA, has been named the exclusive global licensing partner for its new apple variety.  WSU said the company will manage sales of licensed WA 64 trees and budwood to growers for planting or grafting in orchards, as well as license the new apple’s forthcoming trademark to fruit packers and marketers.  The new apple, which has yet to be named, is expected to reach consumers in 2029.

“The license agreement is the latest step in a decades-long process to commercialize a new apple,” said Jeremy Tamsen, director of innovation and commercialization for WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.

Selected by WSU through a competitive proposal process, INN is a network of more than a dozen companies in the U.S., Chile, France, Italy, China, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa that offers tree fruit propagation, commercialization, and distribution globally.

“All three services are necessary to protect the hard work that went into breeding and selecting this cultivar in Washington,” Tamsen said. The company was chosen for the strength of its proposal, business position in the marketplace, and experience bringing new varieties to market.

“Through our members, we’ve helped bring new variety innovations to growers around the world for nearly 30 years,” said Garry Langford, the company’s general manager. “We look forward to working with the world-renowned WSU apple breeding program to successfully develop WA 64.”

A hybrid of Honeycrisp and Cripps Pink, WSU describes the new WA 64 apple as tart, firm, sweet, and juicy.  Selected for the fresh market, the apple has outstanding eating and storage qualities.  And much like Cosmic Crisp WA 64 slices are slow to brown.

The result of a cross-hybridization made in Wenatchee, WA, in 1998, WA 64 was selected for further evaluation at private and research orchards. The university officially released it in 2023 and launched a public naming contest for the apple last spring. The winning name of the new apple is expected to be announced by the end of the year.

Within the U.S., only growers in Washington state can be licensed to grow WA 64 until August 2034. Nurseries must meet certification requirements to be licensed to then sell licensed trees to licensed growers. Trees for home gardeners will be available at licensed nurseries, but only for planting in Washington. Trees may be planted for farmgate sales, in which farmers sell produce direct to consumers, but will also require licenses.

Royalties from tree and apple sales support apple breeding research at WSU. Using funding from the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, scientists are also studying the best ways to grow and harvest WA 64.

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