University of Minnesota unveils new Kudos apple

The University of Minnesota said fans of its Honeycrisp, Zestar! and SweeTango apples will love the newest addition to its family tree: Kudos brand MN33 apples.

Kudos is a red apple with a unique combination of traits, including an excellent crisp, juicy texture and a sweet, well-balanced flavor with occasional tropical overtones. It was developed by crossing the University of Minnesota hits Honeycrisp and Zestar!, making it a sibling of the popular SweeTango apple.

“Eating a Kudos apple is like having a crunchy, juicy tropical party in your mouth,” said David Bedford, University of Minnesota apple breeder. “It has the crisp, juicy texture of Honeycrisp and the rich flavor of Zestar! but with a slight tropical twist.”

After years of testing at the University’s Horticultural Research Center located at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and in orchards across Minnesota and top apple producing states, Kudos trees have proven hardy up to U.S. Department of Agriculture Zone 4, with fruit ripening in late September.

While apple enthusiasts may be eager to taste Kudos, apples will not be widely available in the marketplace for two to three years as commercial orchards plant trees and allow those trees to mature and bear fruit.

For commercial growers interested in purchasing and planting trees, Kudos™ has been released as an “open variety” (tree royalty only) and orchards may purchase trees directly from nurseries licensed by the University of Minnesota. Visit mnhardy.umn.edu/kudos for a list of licensed nurseries and more information.

Additional information about Kudos™ and the University of Minnesota’s 28 other apple varieties is available at mnhardy.umn.edu.
About apple breeding at the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota apple breeding program has been developing cold hardy apples that are both high quality and high yielding for 115 years. The program is based in the Department of Horticultural Science at the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. Most of the apple breeding and evaluation takes place at the Horticultural Research Center at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, Minnesota.