WASHINGTON - Washington State University, the creator of the Cosmic Crisp apple variety, has officially chosen the 24 growers who will guide the new crop through its inaugural season. According to the Tri-City Herald, over 445 growers entered the lottery which was used to select the 24 lucky winners.

When it hits market, many in the industry predict that the Cosmic Crisp will be able to compete well with the much loved Honeycrisp variety. According to the Tri-City Herald, the Honeycrisp was one of the parent varieties used to create the Cosmic Crisp.

A full list of all 24 winners and the number of trees which they have been given permission to purchase follows below:

• Leah Eddie of Grandview, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Harris Farms of Kennewick, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Jeff Freepons of Prosser, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Mark Hanrahan of Wapato, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Konnowac Orchards LLC of Wapato, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Conor Kilian of Sunnyside, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Dalbir Bains of Oroville, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Brook Besor of Plymouth, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Melissa Mathis of Mesa, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Cowan Orchards Inc. of Leavenworth, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Cox Canyon Vineyards of Ellensburg, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Ross Montierth of Mesa, 3,000-5,000 trees
• Double S Orchards LLC of Wenatchee, W.O, up to 20,000 trees
• Terrace Heights LLC of Yakima, W.O, up to 20,000 trees
• Maple Leaf LLC of Yakima, up to 20,000 trees
• Kludt-Waldron Orchards Inc. of Manson, up to 20,000 trees
• Weasel Ranch LLC of Yakima, up to 20,000 trees
• Mustang Ranch of Othello, up to 20,000 trees
• F. Lorraine Mathison Grantor Trust of Wenatchee, up to 20,000 trees
• Bob Mathison of Wenatchee, up to 20,000 trees
• Stephen van Someren Greve of Wenatchee, up to 20,000 trees
• HLH Properties LLC of Yakima, up to 20,000 trees
• Stemilt World Famous Compost LLC of Wenatchee, up to 20,000 trees
• Lyall Family Farms of Grandview., up to 20,000 trees

WSU officials have shared that they plan to have the first batch of 300,000 trees ready for purchase in Spring 2017. The university will be coordinating with Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute affiliated nurseries in order to build up sufficient supplies of these in-demand trees.

Growers who were not fortunate enough to be selected in the WSU drawing will have the opportunity to purchase Cosmic Crisp trees of their own in 2018-2019. Consumers will be able to buy their first batch of Cosmic Crisps sometime around the year 2019.

Congratulations to those growers selected in the drawing!

Cosmic Crisp