The legend behind the the Pink Lady apple, John Cripps has passed away in Australia where he released his apple formula to the market 30 years ago. He was 95 years old.
According to News.co.au, Cripps daughter Helen Cripps commented on her father’s legacy in an interview with ABC radio.
“It took 25 years of research to develop the apple genetics of the Pink Lady to the point it’s at today,” she said.
She said her family is proud of his contribution to the agricultural industry, and detailed the lengths he went to develop the variety, which is now a staple item on shelves around the world, and a potent brand within the produce industry.
“It’s not just about crossing and getting a single apple, it’s about having to take the seeds, create seedlings and get the trees to grow to a certain size,” she said.
She went on to say that he “was looking for a particular taste — he was looking for the red color,, the sweetness, the crispness … and that they had good storage so they could survive in cold store for a long time.”
The Pink Lady apples first hit the market in 1991 and has since been listed as one of Australia’s top 100 greatest inventions. Eventually, the brand accounted for more than 30 percent of Australia’s apple production, the report said.
In 2010, Cripps was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia and five years later was made an Officer of the order of Australia.
