The popular drinks brand, Ribena has launched a ‘bold new regenerative farming project’ among its Norfolk blackcurrant farmers as part of its ongoing research into reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.
The ambitious project has been launched this week in a collaboration between the Ribena brand owner Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I, Suntory Holdings Limited, Soil Ecology Laboratory, and the University of East Anglia.
The trial will take place across much of the 60 hectares of blackcurrant production at Gorgate Farm in Norfolk, which has been growing blackcurrants for Ribena since the 1950s.
As part of the overall target to support crop resilience and reduce carbon emissions from its supply chain, the project aims to reduce scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from blackcurrant production and improve soil health so it can support plant resilience and increase the amount of carbon it can sequester.
It will focus on minimising ‘external inputs’ while improving soil health, plant nutrition, and environmental protection.
“Ribena is an iconic brand with an 85-year history of supporting the UK blackcurrant industry, driving innovation in blackcurrant farming as well as the conservation of farmland,” said Rosie Begg, second generation blackcurrant grower and research lead, Gorgate Farm.
“Challenging climatic and economic conditions over the past few growing seasons have inspired me to investigate, and start to adopt, regenerative farming practices that will allow us to grow sustainably as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Collaborating with Suntory’s global team will enable us to share our learnings and learn from regenerative projects all over the world. Soil truly is the most important and essential ecosystem; it’s linked to every function on the planet.
“The aim is, by focusing on soil biology restoration, we can allow natural processes to support blackcurrant production without so much intervention, benefiting both the environment and blackcurrants we grow substantially.”
Launched this week, the pilot will be backed by investment from Suntory Holding Limited for at least three years. However, it is hoped that the principles and learnings developed will lead to a step change in sustainable production not just in blackcurrant but for many other crops well into the future.
Harriet Prosser, agronomist at SBF GB&I, said: “This project represents a real shift away from more conventional practices. The aim is to produce quality data that will enable us to scale up these principles to the wider industry.
“We’re not just tackling greenhouse gas emissions, we’re looking to increase the amount of life, in our soil, in turn, improving soil health and fertility which benefits the blackcurrant itself. It aims to facilitate healthy plant growth and re-establish a more natural soil food web.
“This is an ambitious project – we want to do this important work while maintaining a commercial yield of high quality juicy British blackcurrants that will go into making Ribena for the next 85 years.”
The project will use the widely adopted Cool Farm Tool to quantify the on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration. This will ensure accurate and consistent carbon reporting. The wider results, it is hoped, will be reported via peer-reviewed scientific papers charting the project’s findings.
Brian Reid, professor of soil science at the University of East Anglia, said: “It is incredibly exciting to be collaborating in this project. For several years, we have pioneered approaches to assess soil carbon storage permanence and the relationships that exist between soil carbon and soil biodiversity. This support from Suntory enables real-world opportunity to apply our science and quantify the benefits of regenerative agriculture interventions.”
