In the production of Vostizza Currants, five tonnes of grapes are needed to produce one tonne of currants. Over 6,000 families are involved in the care and cultivation of the vines and the average production per vineyard is less than two tonnes.
Harvesting in the mountainous region takes place some three weeks later than the lowlands. Drying is carried out in the traditional manner by alternate periods exposed to hot sun and the shade. It is thought that the slowness of this process imparts such exquisite flavour to the Vostizza Currant. Certainly, it is responsible for the softness of texture and the high retention of natural sugars.
From the vineyard, the fruit passes to factories for cleaning, grading and packing for export markets. Lancashire Eccles Cakes Limited approves only one factory for the preparation of their Currants. This is the modern and hygienic plant operated by the Agricultural Cooperatives Union of Aeghion. This packing station is regarded as being one of the finest sites in the world for the production of dried vine fruits with an outstanding reputation for product quality, cleanliness and safety. ISO 9001:2000, ISO22000 and BRC systems are in place.
At the packing station the fruit is carefully graded, double washed in fresh running water and handpicked to remove any remaining vine stems on static picking tables. Before packing it is finally passed through metal detection and x-ray equipment. Only the finest selected fruit graded Vostizza-A is used by Lancashire Eccles Cakes in the production of our ‘Real Lancashire Eccles Cakes’.