He has been hailed as the ‘Ribena poster boy’ but Wexford commercial blackcurrant farmer, Des Jeffares, had to pick his own way out of a vacuum.
Ribena’s decision to stop buying from Irish blackcurrant growers in 2013 was, he said, a huge blow.
The third generation blackcurrant farmer in his family, Jeffares has been on a mission to highlight the health benefits of the berry, which he dubs a super fruit.
“It was our main contract and there was a big industry built up around these contracts in the south-east: it supported seven families. The blackcurrant industry originally started in household back gardens.
“A central depot in Wexford was supplied, where the fruit was prepared for export,” said Jeffares, who has featured in the company’s TV adverts.
He kept going by supplying the domestic market and has also been trying to build an export market, mainly in the UK. However, the farmer is anxious about the impact of Brexit on that business.
With harvest time in July and August, Jeffares is set for a busy two months. “We employ two people on the farm and take on five seasonal employees for harvest,” he said.
It’s a longterm crop – you could have a crop in the ground for 20 years. There is a lot of rotation. We rotate between blackcurrants, tillage crops and grassland.
A good berry
The humble blackcurrant, Jeffares said, is brimming with health and wellness benefits. “There has been a lot of research done on these in New Zealand, Japan and Scotland.
“Blackcurrants are preventative medicine. As a dark-berried fruit, they are extra good nutritionally, with high levels of antioxidants,” said Jeffares, whose wife, Margaret, runs Good Food Ireland, from the farm.
He added: “Blackcurrants have a cleansing effect on the blood, helping to improve blood flow. It has been proven that regular consumption of blackcurrants can reduce the potential of getting heart disease.
“When you talk to country people about the benefits, a lot of them remember being given a spoonful of blackcurrant jam in hot water, as children, when they were sick.”
A lot of Jeffares’ blackcurrants are supplied to the food industry and jam-making companies. They are also available in the freezer unit of Pettitts, Wexford, and the plan is to broaden that to other supermarkets around the country.
“It’s pure blackcurrant juice, made from cold pressed blackcurrants, with no added sugar. It’s sold through major SuperValu stores and a lot of independent shops and health food outlets around the country.”
Jeffares said his current focus is on points of difference, such as Origin Green sustainability certification. He is also working on achieving Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
“We have sent submissions to Brussels for the PDO/PGI certification for Wexford blackcurrants, which potentially will give us product security and legal protection.
“It would also help ensure community awareness, national and international recognition of our high quality produce, as well as other points of difference.”