Pink Lady Apple Tree (Cripps Pink Variety)

The Pink Lady Apple® may be the most well marketed apple in worldwide history. What other apple can boast its own website at pinkladyapples.com, or its own Twitter account at @pinkladyapples.co.uk? What other apple won an award in 2011 for the best marketed brand by the Chartered Institute of Marketing?

Since its introduction - first in Australia in 1989 and then to the US in the late 1990's, the Pink Lady® has become one of the most popular commercial varieties sold worldwide.

The Pink Lady was first crossed by John Cripps, a hybridizer for the Western Australia Department of Agriculture, in 1973. The Cripps Pink, as it was originally called, was a cross between Lady Williams and Yellow Delicious. To acknowledge his contribution, John Crips was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to his industry.

The Australian government works with the Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) who owns the name and all intellectual property associated with the name Pink Lady Apple®. Producers who grow and market the Pink Lady Apple® must agree to sell only when and if the fruit achieves specific sugar content, firmness, blemish free fruit and a pink (not light red) color. Inspections are made regularly by agents of APAL to ensure that these standards were met.

Brandt's Fruit trees of Washington State bought the trademark rights for the United States and Mexico in the late 1990's. Brandt's formed a company called Pink Lady America to manage the Pink Lady Brand in these countries.

Brandt's Fruit trees of Washington State bought the trademark rights for the United States and Mexico in the late 1990's. Brandt's formed a company called Pink Lady America to manage the Pink Lady Brand in these countries.

This required the trees fruit to be exposed to the sun during the later part of the ripening period. This meant for some late season pruning for the finest pink color to be achieved.

Never a cheap apple; today the Pink Lady® is the third or fourth most popular variety of apple sold worldwide. This is purely do to its fine quality. Since it has been released to the home garden market, it is continually grown as one of the most popular varieties sought out for planting in the backyard.