Ribena (trademark) is a brand of uncarbonated soft drink made by GlaxoSmithKline, containing blackcurrant juice. It was originally manufactured by the Bristol-based food and drink company Carters as a blackcurrant cordial. The drink was launched in the 1930s and it was given the name Ribena, from the botanical name for the blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum in 1938. Blackcurrants are a rich source of Vitamin C. During World War II other fruits rich in vitamin C, like oranges, became almost impossible to obtain in the United Kingdom. Blackcurrant cultivation was encouraged by the Government and the yield of the nation's crop increased significantly. From 1942 almost the entire British blackcurrant crop was made into blackcurrant syrup (or cordial), almost all of it manufactured by Carters, and distributed to the nation's children for free, giving rise to the lasting popularity of blackcurrant flavourings in Britain. Carters were bought out by the Beecham company (later to become GlaxoSmithKline) in the 1950s. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ... GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK NYSE: GSK) is a British based pharmaceutical, biologicals, and healthcare company. ... Binomial name Ribes nigrum L. The blackcurrant is a temperate shrub which produces small edible berries with a high natural vitamin C content, which are very dark purple/blue in colour—almost black—hence the name. ... A cordial is an extremely sweet (when undiluted) non-alcoholic fruit flavoured drink concentrate that is diluted with water to taste. ... Chemical structure of vitamin C Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Orange blossoms and oranges on tree For other uses of orange, see orange (disambiguation) The Orange Citrus x sinensis is a Citrus tree, and the fruits of this tree. ... Thomas Beecham (April 29, 1879 - March 8, 1961) was a British conductor. ...

Today Ribena is sold as a cordial and also pre-diluted and marketed in a large variety of flavours (e.g. Blackcurrant, Strawberry and Apple).

Ribena can be mixed with the alcoholic, anise flavoured drink, Pernod. Water and Ice is then added to produce the cocktail named the 'King of Denmark'. Pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur and aperitif from France, typically containing 40-45% alcohol by volume, although there exist alcohol-free varieties. ...

For a short period in the late 1990s a carbonated version, sold in cans, was trialled in the UK, but this was not a success.

Ribena claims that 95% of all UK and Irish farmed blackcurrants are used in their drinks.

In May 2006, Ribena Blueberry was was introduced to the UK market. the success of Ribena Blueberry is yet to be seen.

External links

• Official site