Andrew & Julie Husband
We’re the Husband family and we grow blackcurrants in Dundee. My name is Andrew and this is my wife Julie and our children. I grow and harvest with my father Bill and my son Fraser.
How long have you been growing blackcurrants?
We’ve been growing for 32 years.
What varieties do you grow and in what region?
In Angus, Scotland, just outside Dundee, we grow Ben Gairn, Ben Dorain, Ben Starav, Ben Lawers, Ben Klibreck.
How much do you harvest annually and where do they go?
All our blackcurrants got to Ribena.
What else do you grow?
Cereals, Blueberries and Apples.
Why do you love growing blackcurrants?
Seeing our fruit go from field to bottle and going into such a well-known, quality product, which we enjoy ourselves. We have made many lovely friends from all over the world who share our interest and enthusiasm for blackcurrants and we have all become one big blackcurrant family.
Can you give one tip that people could benefit from when growing blackcurrants?
Plant before bud break.
Can you tell us about some of the ways in which you manage the land sustainably?
Greening to help the environment, including grass buffers, sowing clover to help the bees and also looking after the soil with good rotations.
What’s your favourite way to enjoy blackcurrants?
Blackcurrant juice and blackcurrant jelly is delicious and my wife, Julie, makes a fabulous Blackcurrant Mousse.
If you were a blackcurrant artist what genre of art do you think best represents you in your growing approach and why?
Landscape – I enjoy seeing how blackcurrants make the fields look throughout the seasons.