Ribena pure fruit syrups for the manufacture of milkshakes had been done at the Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research Station in North Somerset using a pectinase enzyme process; Ribena was essentially invented there by Vernon Charley, a scientist at the University of Bristol in 1933. The blackcurrant variety was found to contain high levels of vitamin C. The drink was launched in 1938 under the name Ribena (from the botanical name for the blackcurrant, "Ribes nigrum"). During the Second World War, other fruits rich in vitamin C, like oranges, became almost impossible to obtain in the United Kingdom, due to
Ribes bracteosum Ribes bracteosum Ribes bracteosum, the stink currant, is a species of currant native to western coastal North America from southeastern Alaska to Mendocino County in California. "Ribes bracteosum" is a deciduous shrub, without thorns, growing to 3 m (10 feet) tall. The leaves are 5–20 cm (2-8 inches) across, palmately lobed with 5 or 7 lobes. The flowers are produced in spring after the leaves emerge, on racemes 15–30 cm (6-12 inches) long containing 20-40 flowers; each flower is 5–10 mm (2-4 inches) in diameter, with five white or greenish-tinged petals. The fruit, born in clusters, is dark blue with