International Blackcurrant Grower Meeting 2023
5th and 6th June 2023 in Herefordshire,England
Take part in our next event in the framework of the
International Blackcurrant Grower Meeting
Organizers
Whittern Farms, in association with Pixley Berries, are organizing the International Blackcurrant Grower Meeting 2023.
Programme
2 farm visits, one presentation and a General Meeting of the IBA, together with time to talk – this is the programme of this year’s meeting.
Discover the agenda!
Venue
Rooms are available and can be reserved on Whittern Farms / White Heron Properties.
Additional info
Pixley Berries and Windmill Hills will be visited during a short but nonetheless amazing 2-days-programme on 5th and 5th June.
Next steps
More about the IBA
The International Blackcurrant Family
Blackcurrant growers
The International Blackcurrant Association counts more than 200 active members. Most of them are blackcurrant growers. These growers mostly belong to country associations, which constitute the IBA.
Horticultural institutes
Research institutes come alongside the growers. Horticultural institutes and advisors help the growers to make the best of their plantations. They constantly work on the development of new blackcurrant varieties. Their research also includes trials of the best ways to protect the plants from diseases and pests. Adaptations of the way of growing blackcurrants to the increasing difficulties related to climate changes are also part of their support to the growers.
Health research
Together with the horticultural research, several institutes in the world focus on health research related to blackcurrants. The high anthocyanin content of blackcurrants has become increasingly interesting to many researchers all over the world.
Processors and end product manufacturers
What would blackcurrant growers be without clients? Commercial blackcurrant growing is destinated to the commercial production of many end products: concentrate, juices, jams, liqueurs, IQF (individually frozen blackcurrants) and many more basic products for the food industry. But also blackcurrant buds, leaves for herbal teas and many more for medicinal use. This use has been made of blackcurrants already in ancient times and in the Middle Ages!
International Blackcurrant Conferences
Our International Blackcurrant Conferences take place every two years. Our member associations in each country kindly organize them. We have already held them in New Zealand, Scotland, Poland, France and England. Alongside with these three-days-conferences came European conferences for some years: in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands.
The pandemic gave a halt to this rhythm, and we could only start holding conferences again in 2022.
But the thread has been taken up again, and we now also hold a small international blackcurrant grower meeting (restricted for IBA members) when we do not have international conferences. They allow us to hold our General meetings, and especially to exchange and meet among growers.