Blackcurrant buds are a specialized product of the Burgundy region of France, having developed as an outgrowth of that province's long-standing tradition of cultivating the plant for its fruit.
Each year two cooperatives produce about 30 tons of buds derived from three varieties of blackcurrant. The crop occupies approximately 300 ha. tended by some 100 members of the cooperatives. The harvesting is completely mechanized, which has allowed this industry to withstand competition from Eastern Europe. The harvest lasts from December through February, and the buds are extracted in our workshops in Le Sen and Valréas (France).