Sunflare! That’s the new name for Washington State University’s newest apple, a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Cripps Pink apple, known at first as WA 64.
A competition to name the apple went viral earlier this year.
The sunlight glints across Sunflare apples ripening on a branch at WSU's research orchard near Wenatchee, Washington, in late summer 2024.
Jeremy Tamsen / WSU
“We received 15,280 submissions to the contest,” said Jeremy Tamsen, director of innovation and commercialization for WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences.
The final name was chosen after focus groups with apple lovers, as well as WSU faculty and staff. Sunflare was chosen because of how the name matches the apples’ look, according to the press release from WSU.
The sweet and tart flavored apple has skin with colorful orange and pink blush on the outside, and speckles that look like stars lost in the cosmos.
“The name hits all those marks,” Tamsen said. “These pinks, oranges and yellows stand out against all the red apples on the shelf.”
After the announcement was delayed this fall, the winning name choice was announced at a press conference in Yakima, Washington, on Tuesday.
“Our breeding program exists to give consumers better apples to eat, and Sunflare checks all our boxes,” said Kate Evans, a WSU apple breeder, in a press release.
The new apple won’t hit stores until 2029.
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