he farmers that settled in eastern Washington found that the clear, dry air, cool nights and long summer days plus government financed irrigation produced more beautiful apples than any other place in North America or Europe. And nothing was as beautiful as a ruby-hued Red Delicious.

Several factors turned the Washington State Red Delicious into the world's most ubiquitous apple. A new storage technology called controlled atmosphere greatly increased storage time by displacing oxygen with nitrogen gas. This meant that the eye-catching Red Delicious was available for shipping year round. The Washington Apple Commission, financed by a penny-a-box assessment on each box shipped, grew into the most aggressive apple marketers in the nation and, in a successful early example of branding, in 1961 began to use the Red Delicious as its logo.

In the 1970's, competition among large supermarket chains resulted in contracts for huge volumes of apples. Sellers also established markets around the world for the Red Delicious. To cut deals, packers had to offer consistency on a vast scale. Because of Washington's climatic conditions and irrigation, almost no other growers could match Washington State apples for consistent cosmetic perfection. As a result, thousands of acres were planted to Red Delicious apples. As competition from China and other apple varieties increases, however, some of these orchards are now being bulldozed.