The southeast was once home to six blackcurrant farms that had supplied Ribena for decades. One familiar face from those TV ads we all remember, Des Jeffares is now the only remaining commercial blackcurrant farmer in Ireland, as Ribena discontinued the Irish contract for blackcurrants three years ago.

While the other farmers have retired or repurposed their farms, Des has stuck to what he knows and put his decades of expertise and knowledge, passed down from his grandfather and father before him, to create his own drink, Mr Jeffares Blackcurrant Cordial.

“When the contract with Ribena was coming to an end, I never considered doing anything else. This is all I know,” Des says. “It really was a big change for the whole region, and the industry was very much reliant on the Ribena contract. So when they pulled out of Ireland, it caused a lot of head-scratching and concern.”

Des was the only one of the farmers who was solely dependent on the blackcurrant enterprise, and he decided to embrace it. He and wife Margaret, who founded and runs Good Food Ireland from their family farm in Drinagh, Co Wexford, knew they wanted to create their own blackcurrant product. The first thing they did was invest in freezers for the farm.

Change of plan

“In 2013, we were going to end up with 150 to 200 tonnes of fruit, and we had think of something to do with it. We decided to start selling the blackcurrants topped and tailed to the food service industry,” Margaret explains.

“That is when the Good Food Ireland network became so important for us, and the support we have had has been absolutely incredible. We got jam producers to buy our blackcurrants, when blackcurrants had always been imported for jam in Ireland. They knew it was worth buying Irish, they could actually use less because the flavour was so strong so it was actually cost-effective.”

The cordial took longer to develop, as they really wanted to get it right.

“It took years, and so many different recipes, and just tasting and tasting and tasting to see what would work. I had a feeling a fruit concentrate like pear would work but it just wasn’t right,” Des says.

Margaret explains that they eventually decided to add stevia.

“It was the only thing that added sweetness but still let the natural, pure blackcurrant flavour shine through. That is the only thing we add to the juice, no water or anything. You see other products that could only have 27% blackcurrants.”

The stevia means the drink is suitable for diabetics, and the couple are aware that people want to limit the amount of added sugar in their diet.

“Everyone picks up the bottle and comments on the stevia, saying that’ll be great to give their kids. The feedback from health stores has been overwhelming,” Des says.

Mr Jeffares

The name is no accident, and is closely linked to the family’s history of producing blackcurrants in the area.

“My family were one of the first blackcurrant farmers in Ireland, as they got the Ribena contract about 60 years ago,” Des explains. His family farmed in the area for generations, but it was his grandfather, Shaun Jeffares, who started growing blackcurrants there, followed by Des’s father, Peter.

Margaret says that when she married Des and moved to Wexford, everyone she met knew who the Jeffares were, because they would have helped pick blackcurrants for Shaun or Peter, or Mr Jeffares, as they were both known.

“There were 20 acres of blackcurrants here when Des was a teenager and there were 300 pickers needed. Des’s father used to get buses to pick them up and bring them out from town. So everyone I met in Wexford came up to me and said: ‘I used to pick Mr Jeffares’ blackcurrants’; it’s just such a part of the heritage.”

“We knew straight away we wanted to name the drink Mr Jeffares,” Des explains. “It’s about taking that history of blackcurrants in Wexford and giving it a future.”

Visit www.mrjeffaresblackcurrants.ie for stockists and more information. Find Mr Jeffares Blackcurrant Cordial in Super Valu and health food shops nationwide.