Inventing a Better Apple

The apples you can buy at the grocery store have gotten profoundly better over the past few decades. It’s a kind of everyday, hiding-in-plain sight innovation. Kate Evans is an apple breeder and professor at Washington State University. Kate's problem is this: How do you invent a better apple?

With her team, Kate has in fact invented a new kind of apple called the Sunflare. It’s arriving in stores in a few years. She also helped to invent the Cosmic Crisp, which is out already.

In this episode, Kate explains: 

• Why grocery-store apples have gotten so much better
• Why some of the most delicious apples never make it into stores 
• Why it takes decades to invent a new kind of apple
• How much more we have to learn about apple genetics 
• How the apple industry is adapting to climate change 

Connect with us:

• Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
• Email us at [email protected] 
• Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X 
• Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History 
• To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.