The World of Apples

Apple varieties, United States

CN 121

A seedling of open-pollinated Honeycrisp raised at Worthington, Minnesota; sold under the trade mark SugarBee

History

Chuck Nystrom’s family has been in the apple business around Worthington, Minnesota, since about 1909; he and Myrna Nystrom own Ocheda Orchard there3. Wanting an apple as good raw as baked, he joined the North American Fruit Explorers, whose principles included planting seeds to find new varieties, and sowed seeds of apples he liked, among them Keepsake and later Honeycrisp3.

According to the patent, seed from an open-pollinated Honeycrisp tree was collected in 1994 and the seedlings planted in an orchard at Worthington, where one, CN 121, was selected in 20041. Nystrom has said that his Honeycrisp seedlings began to fruit in the late 1990s and that this one stood out among roughly 300; it was first called B512,3. Its pollen parent is unknown1,3.

In 2007 it was budded onto M.26 rootstock in a licensee’s orchard near Ephrata, Washington, and in 2009 and 2010 the young trees’ fruit proved true to the original tree’s1. Nystrom applied for a patent in March 2011, and US Plant Patent 23,777 was granted on 30 July 20131. He developed the variety with Regal Fruit International, and its fruit is sold under the trade mark SugarBee2; in 2022 Regal Fruit announced that it would coordinate sales with three Washington fruit companies2. Penn State’s extension service lists it as a Honeycrisp seedling from Washington “by way of Minnesota”4. In 2026 it was being tested in several countries, among them China, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa3.

The fruit

In the patent’s description, from trees near Ephrata, the fruit is medium to medium-large, about 83.6 mm across and 74.5 mm high, mostly conical, with about half the fruit lopsided1. The tough skin, with a light bloom, is red over yellow-green, more intense on the side facing the sun and washed out on the shaded side; where Honeycrisp is striped, this colours intensely1. The white flesh is firm, crisp, melting and juicy, medium-coarse, sweet and subacid, with a mild apple aroma1. Beside Honeycrisp grown in the same place, it was firmer, higher in sugar and lower in acid, with 14.6° Brix against 13.8°1.

Near Ephrata it was ready to pick about 19 September 2010, ten days after Honeycrisp there1. The fruit has kept for up to five months in cold storage without harm1.

Growing

The patent, describing trees near Ephrata, calls the tree average in size and productivity and moderate in vigour, upright to upright-spreading, with light spur development, and hardy in USDA zone 6a1. In 2010 it reached full bloom there on 27 April; any diploid apple flowering at the same time can pollinate it1. It is considered susceptible to all the insects and diseases of central Washington1.

Uses

CN 121 is a fresh dessert apple1.

Where the sources disagree

  • When it was found. The patent dates the seed to 1994 and the selection to 20041; the 2022 announcement by its marketers says that Nystrom discovered it as a chance seedling “in the early ’90s”2.

Family tree

Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, as the entries in the atlas record them.

  • CN 121 United States, 1994
    • Seed parent Honeycrisp United States, about 1960
      • Parent Keepsake United States, 1936
        • Parent MN 447
        • Parent Northern Spy United States, about 1800
      • Parent MN1627
Honeycrisp CN 121
Where CN 121 came from. The lines lead to its parents: Honeycrisp (United States).

Sources

  1. Apple tree 'CN 121' (US Plant Patent 23,777), Charles Nystrom, inventor; Google Patents, 2013-07-30. Supports: varietal denomination 'CN 121'; seed from an open-pollinated Honeycrisp tree collected in the 1994 growing season, the seedlings planted at an orchard at Worthington, Minn., and CN 121 selected in 2004; budwood budded onto M26 rootstock in 2007 in a licensee's orchard near Ephrata, Wash.; the propagated trees evaluated against the original seedling in 2009 and 2010 and found true to it; application filed 15 March 2011, granted 30 July 2013, inventor Charles Nystrom; tree of average size and productivity, moderate vigour, upright to upright spreading, light spur development, hardy in USDA zone 6a; full bloom on 27 April 2010; ripe for picking about 19 September 2010 near Ephrata, ten days after Honeycrisp there; fruit mostly conical, about half lopsided, medium to medium large, 83.6 mm across and 74.5 mm high; skin glabrous, light bloom, tough, "washed out" especially on the shaded side, colour more intense on exposed sides, over-colour red over yellow-green; intense colour where Honeycrisp is striped; flesh "firm, crisp, melting, sweet, sub-acid and juicy", medium coarse, white, with a mild, apple-like aroma; Brix 14.6 against 13.8 for Honeycrisp grown alongside, with greater fruit pressure and lower titratable acid; "kept up to five months in cold storage with no deleterious effects"; pollinated by any diploid apple flowering at the same time; "a fresh desert apple"; susceptible to all insects and diseases of central Washington.
  2. SugarBee Apples to be Sold Collaboratively with Powerful New Partnership, Regal Fruit International, press release on sugarbeeapple.com, 2022-10-20. Supports: Chuck Nystrom, a Minnesota orchardist and member of the North American Fruit Explorers, discovered it as a chance seedling "in the early '90s"; with Regal Fruit International he developed "the original B-51, patented as CN-121 variety, now trademarked and marketed as the SugarBee"; from the 2022 crop, sales coordinated by Regal Fruit with Chelan Fresh, CMI Orchards and Sage Fruit, three Washington fruit companies.
  3. Ocheda Orchard's Chuck Nystrom shares story behind SugarBee apple, Mikayla Pozorski, The Globe (Worthington, Minnesota), 2026-10-13. Supports: Nystrom's family in the apple business since about 1909; Ocheda Orchard, Worthington, owned by Chuck and Myrna Nystrom; his wish for an apple good both raw and baked; his membership of the North American Fruit Explorers, whose principles included planting seeds; planting seeds of apples he liked, including Keepsake and later Honeycrisp; Honeycrisp seedlings first fruiting in the late 1990s, one of roughly 300 standing out; designated B51, later known commercially as SugarBee; the other parent unknown; tested in several countries in 2026, including China, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa.
  4. Why All the New Apple Varieties?, Rob Crassweller and Robert Pollock, Penn State Extension, 2023-11-25. Supports: Table 1, giving the trade mark or brand name seen on the box or bag and the patented cultivar name: SugarBee for CN 121, "Honeycrisp x Open-Pollinated", origin "Washington (by way of Minnesota)".

All 235 varieties from United States