It was an extra special occasion for the Vičiūnai team during the SIAL exhibition in Paris last week as the Kaunas, Lithuania-headquartered company continued to celebrate its 35th anniversary while welcoming customers and other visitors to its busy stand. While best known as supplier of value-added surimi, salmon, whitefish, herring and other seafood products, the Group’s extensive portfolio of more than 3,000 products runs the gamut from frozen pizza, calzones and crepes to gyoza, bio dumplings and vegan sticks. Produced for both retail and foodservice sectors, much of the volume is destined for private label clients.
“Every year we launch about 100 new products. This will continue in 2027, timed for introduction at major trade shows such as Seafood Expo Global in April,” Laura Kamantauskiene, head of marketing, told FrozenFoodsBiz.com.
Vičiūnai’s recently debuted Viči brand Protein Surimi Noodles, which received the SIAL Innovation Grand Prix Award, was praised by the judging panel as “a dual innovation – in both its form and composition – that positions surimi as part of the protein trend and the rise of functional foods, while expanding its range of uses.”
The product was lauded for transforming traditional stick format surimi into a noodle shape, which will be available in both shrimp-flavored and plain varieties at retail stores in Europe starting this December.
Beyond its format, the offering boasts multiple functional benefits. High in protein and enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids, it also contains marine collagen. The surimi is made from MSC-certified fish.
Also in high profile at Vičiūnai’s SIAL stand were frozen dumplings, which feature a wide variety of menu pleasers including new Korean-style gyoza filled with kimchi and pork, beef bulgogi, vegan meat and other ingredients. Khinkali dumplings with meat, gyoza with shrimp, and dumplings with duck and. Hoisin sauce are among other many other flavors to savor.
Founded by co-owners Visvaldas Matijošaitis and Liudas Skierus in 1991, the Group today employs more than 4,000 people, operates sales and distribution companies in 21 countries across Europe, and exports to 70 markets worldwide. Production takes place at state-of-the-art plants in Luthuania, Estonia and Spain. Vičiūnai’s own warehousing space for frozen and chilled products exceeds 18,000 cubic meters, served by over 200 company-owned trucks dedicated to international transport.
