Ribena Blackcurrant fruit drink

Ribena is a deeply historic British brand, first developed in 1938 by Dr. Vernon Charley at the University of Bristol. Originally promoted as a vitamin C supplement for children during World War II when citrus fruits were scarce, it has evolved into one of the most iconic soft drink brands in the UK and Commonwealth countries.

While the brand was originally under the stewardship of H.W. Carter & Co and later GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), it underwent a major ownership shift in late 2013. Today, Ribena is manufactured primarily at the Coleford factory in Gloucestershire, England, which handles the vast majority of its production using British-grown blackcurrants. It is now a key part of the global portfolio of Suntory, a Japanese multinational conglomerate.