Global licensing partner will help launch WSU’s next apple, WA 64

PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University has named International New-Varieties Network LLC (INN) of Ephrata, Washington, as the exclusive global licensing partner for its new WA 64 apple.

Experienced in introducing new fruit varieties worldwide, 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 is expected to reach consumers in 2029; its name has not yet been announced.

"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-one of several cultivars sold as Pink Lady®- WSU's new WA 64 apple is tart, firm, sweet, and juicy. Selected for the fresh market, the apple has outstanding eating and storage qualities. It will be great for charcuterie boards and lunch boxes, Tamsen said-much like Cosmic Crisp®, consumers can slice WA 64 now and enjoy it later, since the slices are slow to brown.

The result of a cross-hybridization made in Wenatchee, Washington, 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.

In addition to working with licensed nurseries and growers, INN will monitor and enforce the variety's plant patent and plant variety protection certificate (PVP) while collecting royalties. INN has appointed Willow Drive Intellectual Property Protection (WIPP) of Ephrata to issue licenses for WA 64.

INN-developed varieties and brands include Aztec Fuji, Modi®, Kissabel®, Royal Red Honeycrisp, and Galaval. The company also helped introduce the Rosy Glow and Lady in Red cultivars into the trademarked Pink Lady® brand.

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.

"After so much time in research, I'm very excited that consumers are now several steps closer to purchasing and eating WSU's next apple," Tamsen said. "We have so many promising products and technologies in the research pipeline at WSU, and this apple is a delicious winner that I know consumers will love."

To learn more about the licensing process for WA 64 apples, visit the INN WA 64 website.

Media Contacts

• Jeremy Tamsen, CAHNRS Director of Innovation and Commercialization, 509-335-6881, [email protected]