The Invention of the Sunpunch and a Fascinating Future for Apples

There’s an apple variety coming to a grocery store near you called Sunpunch that has been twenty-five years in the making. Apples are among the most durable of all fruit, with a stability far beyond almost any other fruit. It’s no wonder it’s the most valuable fruit crop in Canada, according to the Walrus, and the testing ground for some long-term research that may also shape the way we grow, store and consume food in the future too.

In Virginia where I live, the average farmer’s market stall has no less than ten varieties of apples. Contrast this with the well-known story of banana homogenization and you can see two parallel histories. Varieties of apples have survived and thrived, while new varietals are being introduced every year. In the world of apples, innovation and creativity are working overtime. The banana has become the global symbol of the dangers of monoculture and in many cases, is now criticized among banana aficionados as mostly tasteless.

The bigger story about apples is that all the experimentation may be leading to other innovations too. By measuring evolving climate data and working to produce a variety that can sit on a desk for four months without losing flavor or going bad, Canadian apple scientists are learning things that could be applied to the global food industry as well. This is the sort of story I love to share. One invention, creativity from an unexpected place and a lesson that the rest of us can use.