Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I) has invested £14.5m in a blackcurrant processing facility in Ledbury, Herefordshire.
The site is operational in time for this year’s harvest and will handle fruit preparation before processing. It is located closer to key blackcurrant growing regions and SBF GB&I’s factory, supporting efficiency across the supply chain.
Blackcurrants are harvested in summer before being pressed and concentrated for use in Ribena. Fruit from SBF GB&I’s network of 33 British farms, which produce around 10,500 tonnes annually over six weeks, will now be prepared at the new site.
The facility introduces updated processing systems, including vapour recompression evaporators, membrane filtration, automated handling equipment and digital tracking for fruit bins to improve traceability and consistency.
The investment supports 12 full-time roles and 30 seasonal positions.
The project forms part of a wider £57.5m investment across SBF GB&I’s UK supply chain. This includes upgrades at its Coleford factory, such as improvements to the electricity connection, reduced reliance on a gas turbine and a £25m manufacturing line planned for 2027.
SBF GB&I also continues to invest in UK blackcurrant production through breeding work with the James Hutton Institute and a regenerative agriculture pilot in Norfolk.
