Getting to know the British blackcurrants in Ribena squash
Everyone knows that Ribena Blackcurrant squash is made from delicious blackcurrants, but did you know that Ribena comes from the Latin name for blackcurrants, Ribes nigrum?
There are around 150 types of blackcurrant and most of the world’s cultivated blackcurrants are named after Scottish mountains, such as Ben More and Ben Hope. Special varieties that are grown by British Ribena blackcurrant growers are called Ben Starav, Ben Gairn and Ben Tirran, to name just a few.
In partnership with the Scottish Research Crop Institute (SCRI), two new varieties of blackcurrant have been specially bred to withstand the effects of climate change. These are called Ben Vane and Ben Klibreck and were harvested for the first time in 2007.
All of our blackcurrant varieties ripen between the first week of July and mid August when the harvest occurs, meaning that we’ve just come to the end of this year’s harvest and we can start preparing for next year’s crop.
