Growing up: the life and times of a Ribena blackcurrant
Blackcurrants from specially selected species are grown by our loyal team, a handful of British growers, to go into Ribena squash. We’ve been working with some of our growers for over three generations and 60 years to maintain the high quality of our blackcurrant crops.
Only the best varieties make it
Blackcurrants have been grown in the UK for over 500 years and there are now around 150 different species of this little fruit across the world. However, we only use around ten varieties to make Ribena.
And, because these delicious varieties are totally unique to Ribena, you won’t find a taste quite like it anywhere else.
Protecting our favourite fruits
We want to make sure our little blackcurrants grow into strong, juicy berries fit for Ribena squash, so we look after them carefully.
In order to ensure our crops grow into healthy berries, we plant the cuttings between October and March. We then spray the buds with water from mid March onwards, to form an icy blanket which actually guards the buds from frost by keeping them protected on the inside.
We don’t try to eliminate all pests from the crop, as low levels of pests can attract natural predators that help to keep the pest population under control. It’s a fine balancing act that our growers are skilled at.
We also give our berries plenty to drink, providing them with lots of water in the critical stages of early development to produce delicious, plump blackcurrants ready to be made into Ribena squash.
We hope you enjoy the results!
