Blackcurrants have been grown at White Heron since the 1880s even if originally on a kitchen garden scale. Post war we were part of the cohort that started growing blackcurrants for Ribena – the start of a long and fruitful relationship! Blackcurrants are a hardy and deciduous shrub with a delicious fruit and well looked after they can last for up to 20 years. In plantations of up to 20 acres (we have a total of 150) of varying ages and different varieties.
Blackcurrants are planted in rows which facilitates easy operations.
Planting is automated where rotating wheels drop each small shoot (or bush) into a small trench.The alleyways and field margins are seeded with grass, and weeds are controlled. We mechanically prune regularly to maintain bush health and let the light in. Cold winters are essential for proper plant rest; without adequate chill, bud break becomes uneven, leading to poor yields and challenging harvesting.
We minimise spraying for pests and diseases (some sprays are necessary to control fungi, mildew, bugs, and weeds). Every several years we cut right down to the ground to regenerate growth. We mow all the alleyways 3 or 4 times a year to keep the weeds down and
stop competition growth. All our blackcurrant fields have a 2m or 6m wildflower margin to support biodiversity. Hedges are trimmed every two years for bird habitat and we love our in field trees.
We harvest berries from early July to mid-August using mechanical harvester. The harvester straddles and shakes the bushes, and fans remove any leaves. Fruit is then conveyed into bins on a tractor. Quality controllers check for sugar levels, quantity, and quality and the
berries find their way to the factory within 24 hours. Most of the crop goes to Ribena, with a small portion reserved for our British Cassis liqueur.