Honeycrisp

Honeycrisp is an apple cultivar (cultivated variety) developed at the University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center in Chaska, Minnesota. Designated as MN1711 in 1974, patented in 1988, and released in 1991, the Honeycrisp, once slated to be discarded, has rapidly become a prized commercial agricultural product, as its sweetness, firmness, and tartness make it an ideal apple for eating raw. It may also be used for baking and making apple sauce. The advent of the Honeycrisp marks a turning point in the history of the apple industry. As of 2006, the Honeycrisp apple cultivar is now identified as the official state fruit of Minnesota. A large-sized Honeycrisp contains about 116 kilocalories (490 kJ). Pepin Heights Orchards delivered the first Honeycrisp apples to grocery stores in 1997. The name Honeycrisp was trademarked by the University of Minnesota, but university officials were unsure of its patent status in 2007. The US patent for the Honeycrisp cultivar expired in 2008, although patents in some countries will not expire until as late as 2031. Patent royalties had generated more than $10 million by 2011, split three ways by the University of Minnesota among its inventors, the college and department in which the research was conducted, and a fund for other research.