Ribena
A British blackcurrant-based soft-drink brand sold as still drinks, carbonated beverages, and concentrated squash.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Ribena is a British fruit-drink brand built around blackcurrant, a fruit associated with a distinctive dark colour, tart flavour, and historically high vitamin C content. Its roots lie in research carried out in the 1930s at the Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station in North Somerset. Researchers explored fruit syrups that could be used in milkshakes, and work by biochemist Audrey Green and University of Bristol scientist Vernon Charley helped establish blackcurrant as the basis for a commercially useful drink. The brand name was introduced in 1938 by S. M. Lennox of Bristol, drawing on the botanical name of the blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum. H.W. Carter, a Bristol food and drink company, originally manufactured Ribena as a blackcurrant squash. The brand acquired an especially strong reputation during the Second World War. Wartime disruption made imported oranges difficult to obtain in Britain, while the government encouraged blackcurrant cultivation and expanded domestic production. Under the Vitamin Welfare Scheme, blackcurrant syrup and cod-liver oil were distributed without charge to children under two from December 1941. Orange juice later replaced the syrup in April 1942 after supplies became available through the United States Lend-Lease programme. Although the government distribution programme was not equivalent to Ribena being a permanent medicine, it strongly connected the brand with childhood nutrition and vitamin C in public memory. Production moved to the Royal Forest Factory at Coleford in the Forest of Dean in late 1947. H.W. Carter was acquired by the Beecham Group in 1955. Beecham and SmithKline Beckman later combined to form SmithKline Beecham in 1989, and SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome in 2000 to create GlaxoSmithKline. Under Beecham and its successor companies, Ribena expanded beyond concentrated squash into a broader range of still and carbonated fruit drinks, available in bottles, cans, and multipacks. The brand remained particularly prominent in Britain and several Commonwealth markets, where its blackcurrant flavour and childhood associations differentiated it from orange, cola, and apple drinks. Ribena's health-oriented reputation was challenged in the 2000s. In 2001, the United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority found that advertising for diluted Ribena Toothkind made misleading claims about tooth decay, and the relevant claims had to be removed after the matter was upheld in the High Court. In 2003, the Food Commission criticised the sugar content of regular Ribena. In New Zealand, a 2004 school science experiment and subsequent consumer-affairs coverage questioned the vitamin C content of a ready-to-drink product. The New Zealand Commerce Commission later brought proceedings under the Fair Trading Act; in 2007, GlaxoSmithKline pleaded guilty, received a fine, and was required to publish corrective material. Separate Australian consumer testing in 2007 also drew attention to the proportion of blackcurrant juice in one Ribena fruit-drink product. These episodes weakened the idea that Ribena should primarily be understood as a health product and reinforced its positioning as a mainstream soft drink. In 2013, GlaxoSmithKline announced the sale of Ribena and Lucozade as part of a move to concentrate on pharmaceuticals and other core activities. Suntory acquired the brands in a transaction announced in September 2013. The reported transaction value was £1.35 billion, while Ribena's reported worldwide sales for 2013 were approximately £500 million. A sparkling Ribena product launched in 2011 was discontinued in 2014, then returned to supermarket shelves in 2020 in blackcurrant and raspberry variants as the flavoured-carbonate segment grew. In the United Kingdom, the longstanding recipe was changed in April 2018 through the addition of artificial sweeteners in response to the introduction of the government's levy on sugary soft drinks. Ribena continues as an active…
History
Ribena developed from 1930s research into fruit syrups at the Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station in North Somerset. Audrey Green and Vernon Charley investigated how fruit could be processed into a syrup suitable for milkshakes. Blackcurrants were selected because they were unusually rich in vitamin C compared with many other fruits available in Britain. The name Ribena was introduced in 1938 by S. M. Lennox of Bristol, taking inspiration from Ribes nigrum, the botanical name for the blackcurrant. H.W. Carter, a Bristol food and drink company, manufactured the product as a concentrated blackcurrant squash. The Second World War gave Ribena a lasting place in British food culture. Imported oranges became difficult to obtain because of wartime shipping disruption, while the government encouraged farmers to increase blackcurrant cultivation. The Vitamin Welfare Scheme began distributing blackcurrant syrup and cod-liver oil free to children under two in December 1941. Orange juice replaced the syrup the following year after American supplies became available through Lend-Lease. The association between blackcurrant syrup, children, and vitamin C helped create Ribena's long-running health image, even though the brand later became primarily a soft-drink business. Manufacturing moved to the Royal Forest Factory at Coleford in the Forest of Dean in late 1947. Beecham acquired H.W. Carter in 1955 and broadened the brand's commercial reach. Beecham later became part of the corporate lineage that produced SmithKline Beecham in 1989 and GlaxoSmithKline in 2000. Across these ownership changes, Ribena expanded from a concentrated squash into ready-to-drink still products and carbonated variants sold in bottles, cans, and multipacks. The brand was especially established in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth markets. During the 2000s, several controversies challenged Ribena's health-oriented reputation. A 2001 United Kingdom advertising ruling concerned claims for Ribena Toothkind and whether the product was less likely to contribute to tooth decay. In 2003, the Food Commission criticised sugar levels in regular Ribena. In New Zealand, testing publicised in 2004 questioned the vitamin C level of a ready-to-drink product. The New Zealand Commerce Commission subsequently prosecuted GlaxoSmithKline under the Fair Trading Act; in 2007, GSK pleaded guilty, was fined NZ$217,500, and was ordered to publish corrective material. Australian consumer testing that same year also questioned the proportion of blackcurrant juice in a particular fruit-drink product. Together, these events damaged the brand's image as a straightforward health drink. GSK announced the sale of Ribena and Lucozade in 2013 as part of a strategic effort to focus on pharmaceuticals. Suntory acquired both brands in a reported £1.35 billion transaction. Ribena's reported global sales in 2013 were approximately £500 million. Product development continued under Suntory. A sparkling version introduced in 2011 was discontinued in 2014, then relaunched in 2020 with blackcurrant and raspberry variants. In April 2018, the United Kingdom recipe was reformulated with artificial sweeteners following the introduction of the government's sugary-drinks levy. Ribena also used a 2022 Hasbro promotion involving a Ribena-themed Monopoly edition distributed through an online competition. The brand remains active as a Suntory-owned fruit-drink franchise.
- 2022
Ribena-themed Monopoly promotion
[1]A Hasbro collaboration created a Ribena-themed Monopoly edition distributed to 10,000 customers through an online competition.
- 2020
Sparkling range returns
[1]Sparkling Ribena returned in blackcurrant and raspberry flavours.
- 2018
United Kingdom recipe is reformulated
[1]Artificial sweeteners were added to the United Kingdom recipe following the introduction of the sugary-drinks levy.
- 2014
Original sparkling version is discontinued
[1]The sparkling Ribena product introduced in 2011 was discontinued.
- 2013
Suntory acquires the brand
[1]Suntory acquired Ribena and Lucozade from GlaxoSmithKline.
- 2011
Sparkling Ribena launches
[1]A sparkling version of Ribena was introduced.
- 2000
Ribena enters the GSK portfolio
[1]SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline.
- 1989
SmithKline Beecham is formed
[1]Beecham and SmithKline Beckman merged, creating the corporate predecessor that later became part of GSK.
- 1955
Beecham acquires H.W. Carter
[1]The Beecham Group acquired the company behind Ribena and subsequently expanded the brand's soft-drink formats.
- 1947
Production moves to Coleford
[1]Manufacturing moved to the Royal Forest Factory in Coleford, Forest of Dean.
Products and positioning
A mainstream fruit-drink brand centred on the distinctive taste and colour of blackcurrant, combining British heritage and childhood familiarity with convenient soft-drink formats. Its earlier health and vitamin-C associations remain part of its history, while contemporary positioning is primarily that of a flavoured soft drink rather than a medicinal or nutritional product.
Ready-to-drink fruit beverage
Ribena Original Blackcurrant
The core blackcurrant drink associated with the Ribena name. It is sold as a ready-to-drink, non-carbonated beverage in pack formats including bottles, cans, and multipacks. The product's dark colour and tart-sweet blackcurrant flavour are central to the brand's identity.
Fruit-drink concentrate · 1938
Ribena Blackcurrant Squash
A concentrated blackcurrant drink intended to be diluted before consumption. Squash is one of Ribena's foundational formats and preserves the preparation style from the brand's original H.W. Carter product while allowing households to control serving strength.
Carbonated soft drink · 2011
Ribena Sparkling Blackcurrant
A carbonated interpretation of Ribena's blackcurrant profile. A sparkling version first appeared in 2011, was discontinued in 2014, and returned to supermarket shelves in 2020 as part of a renewed focus on flavoured carbonates.
Carbonated soft drink · 2020
Ribena Sparkling Raspberry
A raspberry variant included in the sparkling range's 2020 return. It extends the brand beyond its signature blackcurrant flavour while retaining the carbonated, fruit-flavoured format.
Reduced-tooth-impact fruit drink
Ribena Toothkind
A diluted Ribena cordial marketed with claims concerning reduced contribution to tooth decay. Its advertising became the subject of a 2001 United Kingdom regulatory dispute, after which the relevant claims had to be removed.
Controversies
2007
New Zealand vitamin C claims case
After testing questioned the vitamin C content of a ready-to-drink Ribena product, New Zealand authorities brought 15 Fair Trading Act charges against GlaxoSmithKline. GSK pleaded guilty, received a NZ$217,500 fine, and was ordered to publish corrective advertisements and a website statement.
2007
Australian testing of fruit content
Consumer testing reported by Choice magazine stated that blackcurrant juice from concentrate made up 5 percent of a tested Ribena fruit-drink product, contributing to scrutiny of the brand's fruit-content and health associations.
2003
Criticism of sugar levels
The United Kingdom Food Commission criticised the sugar content of regular Ribena and presented it as a concern in relation to childhood obesity.
2001
Ribena Toothkind advertising ruling
The United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority judged claims that diluted Ribena Toothkind did not encourage tooth decay to be misleading. The matter was subsequently upheld in the High Court, requiring the claims to be removed from packaging and advertising.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Ribena Monopoly promotion
United Kingdom
Ribena partnered with Hasbro on a Ribena-themed edition of Monopoly. The edition was distributed to 10,000 customers through an online competition, using a collectible entertainment property to reinforce consumer engagement with the drink brand.
Outcome. The limited distribution created a promotional collectible associated with Ribena.
Brand decisions
2020
Return to sparkling drinksProduct launchBackground
The flavoured-carbonate segment was described as growing, while Ribena had previously discontinued its sparkling line in 2014.
Action taken
Suntory returned sparkling Ribena to supermarket shelves in blackcurrant and raspberry flavours.
Aftermath
The move broadened Ribena's active range beyond still drinks and squash.
2018
Reformulate the United Kingdom recipeStrategyBackground
The United Kingdom introduced a levy on sugary soft drinks, increasing pressure on beverage makers to reduce sugar content.
Action taken
Artificial sweeteners were added to the longstanding United Kingdom Ribena recipe.
Aftermath
The change aligned the product with the new regulatory and pricing environment while altering a familiar formulation.
2013
Sell Ribena to SuntoryM&ABackground
GlaxoSmithKline was seeking to focus its portfolio more closely on pharmaceuticals and related core activities.
Action taken
GSK sold Ribena together with Lucozade to Suntory in a reported transaction valued at £1.35 billion.
Aftermath
Ribena became part of Suntory Beverage & Food's international beverage portfolio.
Reported transaction value. £1.35 billion (2013)
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