Lithuanian group to build new €100m salmon plant

‘Consistent and patient expansion’

The company said: “The Vičiūnai Group’s consistent and patient expansion is paying off with growing demand and undisputed leadership in European markets, while at home we pride ourselves on creating new jobs, providing opportunities for growth and increasing our contribution to the common good in the form of taxes paid and domestic product created. “

It also said that when designing the new plant, it focused not only on state-of-the-art production technologies, but also on sustainability and environmental solutions. The new building will be equipped with a 1.5 MW solar power plant on the roof, eliminating the use of natural gas in the process and using all surplus energy for space and water heating. The production process will focus heavily on automation and robotisation of the supply, preparation, packaging and storage processes, not only to reduce manual labour but also to maximise employee safety, the company said.

Dainius Matijošaitis, member of the Board of Vičiūnai Group, said: “The new production solutions will not only allow us to significantly increase production volumes, but also to expand our product range. We are responding to the trends in salmon products and consumer habits in the major Western markets, which will lead to a significant increase in the number of packaging types and methods, more fresh and frozen salmon products with spices, and new slicing methods.

“However, Lithuanian consumers remain cautious and conservative in their choice of high-value fish products, so no major changes are expected on the shelves of the country’s supermarkets, at least in the near future. This is a bit of a shame, because the demand for salmon, which is farmed under strict rules and has a very high nutritional value, is growing steadily and rapidly in the Western world.

“We hope that a change of attitude in the Baltic countries will also take place in the coming years.”