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Ribena

Ribena
the posh squash
by Caroline Wilson
February 5, 2001

Ribena has always been a bit of a posh squash. It is more expensive, more refined and better for you than the lurid orange-flavoured brews that populate the supermarket shelves.

The history of the blackcurrant cordial eventually named Ribena goes back to 1872 and the Bristol-based food and drink company Carters. In the 1930s it had established a range of citrus-based squashes, but pioneering work at the nearby Long Ashton Hortcultural Research Station

led to the manufacture of a blackcurrant cordial which was found to have extremely high concentrations of vitamin C. In 1938 it was called Ribena, from the botanical name for the blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum.

The healthy attributes of the syrup came in handy during the Second World War, when children were given free blackcurrant cordial as an instant vitamin C boost - and the Carters factory supplied almost all of it. As in so many of these histories, the wartime necessity proved a bit hit in peacetime. Carters was now able to sell the product on the open market under its original name, but the Bristol factory was bomb-damaged and a new site was found in the Forest of Dean where the factory still stands. Eight years later, the Beecham company, now SmithKline Beecham - soon to be Glaxo SmithKline - bought the brand from Carters.

A total of 19 flavours have been launched since 1975, including apple and strawberry smoothie as well as Ribena Tooth Kind, with no added sugar, accredited by the British Dental Association.

Caroline Wilson works in London.


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