Australia's apple industry releases new offerings after 20 years of work to keep up with berry, citrus rivals

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.

It's one of a new array of eye-catching and mouth-watering offerings hitting the shelves.

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.

Developed in France, Kissabel's stunning red flesh is derived from its crabapple ancestry.

Over two decades, plant breeders bred out much of the astringency and added size, texture and flavour.

"Red-fleshed has been a bit of a nirvana for the [apple] breeding community," said Rowan Little of Montague Fresh, one of Australia's largest fruit companies.

Kissabel comes in two styles: the Summer, yellow-skinned with a light red interior and an almost tropical taste; and the Berry, with a burgundy skin and bold red flesh.

"I would call it [the Berry] the full flavour, really deep raspberry, very strong acidity but sweet still, really complex," Mr Little said.

A need for change

Mr Little said across 25 years in the apple industry, he had seen production costs escalate and grower returns diminish.  

Apples used to be by far the biggest selling fruit, but in recent years other fruits have taken a big bite out of that market share.  

Phil Turnbull of Apple and Pear Australia Limited said the apple industry needed to keep up with other fruit producers offering multiple varieties.  

"There's types of berries now, there's various types of citrus, there's multiple types of grapes, the list goes on," Mr Turnbull said.

"What used to be a pretty uncompetitive space where apples and pears had essentially a good period of the year to themselves, now there's a plentiful supply of different types of fruits, snack items all year round."

Finding the next big thing in apples

While most apple growers have increased their production in recent years, nationally, consumption has stayed flat.

That has made some older, unfashionable varieties very hard to sell, and rising production costs have put the squeeze on producers.

It's the main reason Australian apple growers are forever looking for the next big thing in apples.  

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.  

"It's a cross between a Honey Crisp and an Enterprise, developed over 20 years at the Washington State University, and we're bringing it to consumers here in Australia and it's going to change the game on apples for consumers," Mr Palise said.

The apple, commercially released in the United States in 2020, took its name from the white, star-like dapples on its red skin.

Mr Palise said for growers, the apple's desirable traits included being easy to grow and high-yielding.

He said consumers would find it to be crisp and juicy, with the right balance of acidity and sweetness.

It also has an unusually long shelf life and doesn't go brown after being cut open.

'We're very excited'

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.

Mr Palise said the first Cosmic Crisp harvest, just completed, surpassed expectations. 

But it will be five years before the trees in the orchards of 13 selected growers will reach full production.  

"We're very excited about what this variety can do in a category that needs inspiration, and every consumer at home is going to get an experience they've never had in apples," he said.

Apple varieties with catchy names such as Jazz, Smitten, Pink Lady and Envy have all emerged on supermarket shelves in recent years, vying for space alongside traditional apples such as Granny Smiths and Jonathans.

"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.

Members of the apple industry, including Joseph Napoleone from Red Rich Fruits, said the new varieties would reinvigorate apple sales.

"There's so many new varieties coming on board, there's not a dull moment. Look on any shelf in the country and you'll find something exciting," Mr Napoleone said. 

Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or on ABC iview.