What started small has now grown into a major apple breeding program that is bringing a lot of attention, as well as sales and profits, to many New York state apple growers.
A little more than a decade ago, a small group of growers in the Empire State formed Crunch Time Apple Growers for the purpose of growing and marketing apples developed by the apple breeding program at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
At that time, Cornell granted Crunch Time an exclusive license to grow and market SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples in North America. Initially, membership in the company was open to every apple grower in the state. Today, according to Jessica Wells, executive director of Crunch Time, more than 150 grower-members produce SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples on more than 1,400 acres. Read more…