A new variety of apple is being launched with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign. It is starting to hit grocery shelves in the US, and then overseas early in 2020, is a new American-born apple that its backers are convinced will become the new global bestseller - the Cosmic Crisp. "The stars are aligning for this apple," says Kathryn Grandy, marketing director of US fruit firm Proprietary Variety Management (PVM), the company handling the $10m (£7.9m) launch of the new variety. A cross-breed between two existing apples - the Honeycrisp and the Enterprise - advocates of the Crisp describe it as some sort of apple holy grail. It is said to be sweet, crisp and juicy. But as importantly, it is said to have a previously unheralded shelf life, staying fresh for up to a year if kept chilled. The first apples are now on sale in the US for $5 per pound (per 454g), this is more than three times the cost of standard varieties. More than 467,000 40lb boxes are now projected to be shipped before the end of this year, rising to two million in 2020, and 5.6 million by 2021. The apple even has a trademarked slogan - "Imagine the possibilities".
