When you think Florida, you think “oranges” and when you think Idaho, you think  “potatoes” – well, how about “New York black currants”? The Currant Company, in the historic Hudson Valley area of New York State, is making it their mission to bring this popular fruit of days long past. The black currant, once a very popular and readily harvested fruit in the New York region, was banned in the early 1900s because it was found to help facilitate the spread of white pine blister rust, which threatened the booming timber industry. Greg Quinn, with the help of several NYS Senators and Assemblypersons, has successfully lead the effort to overturn the 100 year old ban. The Currant Company's goal is to help make New York the nation’s top black currant producer once again.

The Currant Company's founder, Greg Quinn, horticulture expert, says this is the first crop in almost a half century that may provide profitability to struggling farmers. Each year, hundreds of small farms in New York State cease to exist (thousands across the U.S.), and developers quickly snap up open land when farmers sell off their property. The Currant Company’s goal is to bring back blackcurrant farming in the hope of saving some of this open space.

Why black currants? This once “forbidden fruit” is more than a much needed development to New York State farming, it is also the boost that Americans need to their diets. Black currants, a virtually unknown fruit to most Americans (but extremely popular in Europe), may be just what the doctor ordered. This dark-colored berry is jam packed with antioxidants, which have been shown to help prevent various types of degenerative diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, as well as slow down the aging process and protect the body’s vision and neurological functions and just recently, it was revealed that black currants may help thwart Alzheimer's Disease. The black currant has a much higher source of antioxidants than the blueberry and has four times the amount of vitamin C found in oranges, as well as more potassium as bananas.

If you would like to learn more about The Currant Company and black currants, feel free to browse the different areas of this site for the health benefits of these powerful berries and how they are making their way back to America’s farms and diets. If you would like to receive our e-Newsletter, which includes news and updates about the industry, as well as seasonal black currant recipes, please click on the sign-up banner on the left, below the main menu.