![Honey Crisp apples hung from the trees at the Apple Jack Orchard in Delano MN. on 9/17/13. A look at the growth of the designer apple and the family pick-your-own experience. When Apple Jack Orchard was planted in Delano 30 years ago, the seed was just being planted. People were still munching on Haralsons and locally grown was for the hippy fringe. Now families flock to orchards each autumn for Sweet Tango, Zestar and the much coveted Honeycrisp.] Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune bbisping@startribune.com (Photo By Bruce Bisping/Star Tribune via Getty Images)](https://transform-cf1.nws.ai/https%3A//cdn.thenewsroom.io/platform/story_media/1288820507/1156584279.jpg/w_1200,c_limit/)
Food - Drink
The Reason Honeycrisp Apples Are So Expensive
By LISA CURRAN MATTE
According to The Produce News, Honeycrisp apples consistently rank among the most popular apple varieties in the U.S., despite the breed's high average price. It's clear that consumers are willing to pay a premium for this crunchy and crisp fruit, but you may wonder why Honeycrisps are so expensive to begin with.
The Honeycrisp originated in 1983 as a failing variety saved by apple breeder David Bedford. The original Honeycrisp tree was considered not hardy enough to be worth cultivating, but Bedford gave it another chance, and by 1991, his team's new Honeycrisps reached the market as an instant hit — but the trees were still finicky.
Honeycrisp trees grow quickly, which blocks sunlight from reaching fruit on lower branches, and the fruit has thin skin that's easily punctured and a tendency to develop sunken brown spots. Only about 60% of Honeycrisps make it to the market, and they are so expensive to buy because they're so expensive and tough to produce.