SweeTango
logo
|
|
| Hybrid parentage | Honeycrisp and Zestar Apple |
|---|---|
| Cultivar | Minneiska |
| Origin | University of Minnesota, United States, 2008 |
SweeTango (brand name) or 'Minneiska' is a cultivar (cultivated variety) of apple (Malus domestica) developed by the University of Minnesota in 2000 and first sold in the US in 2009. It is a hybrid of two other apples varieties the university developed: the popular 'Honeycrisp' (the “mother”) and the early-ripening 'Minnewasheta' (brand name Zestar!, the “father” or pollinator). The name SweeTango is a brand name of the 'Minneiska' apple, and is a registered trademark owned by the University of Minnesota. Like the 'Honeycrisp', the 'Minneiska' has much larger cells than most apples, which shatter when bitten to fill the mouth with juice.
It is a pinkish apple with a yellow background intermittent with red coloration. The surface of the apple has several distinguishing visual characteristics, with freckle-like white lenticels. This variety is also prone to exhibit some net-like russeting in certain seasons.
The 'Minneiska' has a texture similar to 'Honeycrisp' with a slightly tart and citric quality. The name "SweeTango" is a portmanteau of the words sweet and tangy.
'Minneiska' apples are harvested in late August and early September, and are seasonally available for only a few months. They are sold at retailers across the US and eastern Canada, and can be purchased online subject to shipping restrictions.
In 2000, the new variety, known during development by the identifier MN 1914, was created by the University of Minnesota's breeding program at their Horticultural Research Center's 80-acre (32 ha) farm near Victoria, Minnesota. In 2005, the university sold the exclusive marketing rights to the new variety to Pepin Heights Orchards of Lake City, Minnesota.
In 2006, Pepin Heights Orchards formed a cooperative of 45 growers named Next Big Thing, appointed Pepin Heights Orchards owner Dennis Courtier as its chairman, and sublicensed the use of the Meneiska variety to the co-op. In 2007, the regents of the University of Minnesota trademarked the word "SweeTango", and the first commercial 'Minneiska' apple trees were planted. By January 2007, Next Big Thing had sold memberships worth $380,000, had 30 investors, and was seeking to raise an additional $630,000.
...
Wikipedia