UAB „Vičiūnų grupė“

UAB „Vičiūnų grupė“ (Vičiūnai Group) is one of the largest food manufacturing and distribution groups originating from Lithuania, best known for the consumer brand „VIČI“. The group develops and manufactures seafood, surimi-based products, frozen convenience foods, and other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) for retail and foodservice markets across Europe and beyond. It is a privately held company established in the early 1990s in Kaunas, Lithuania, and has grown into a multi-country group with production and sales companies in several European markets.

Company Overview

Legal name: UAB „Vičiūnų grupė“
Type: Private limited liability company (Uždaroji akcinė bendrovė, UAB)
Founded: 1991 (group origins; early post‑independence expansion in the 1990s)
Headquarters: Kaunas, Lithuania (registered address details see Legal Information)
Industry sector: Food production and distribution (seafood and surimi, frozen foods, FMCG)

Legal Information

Įmonės kodas (company code): Not confirmed for publication here. Obtainable from the Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities (Juridinių asmenų registras) or business directories (e.g., Rekvizitai.lt).
PVM mokėtojo kodas (VAT code): Not confirmed for publication here. Verifiable via the State Tax Inspectorate and EU VIES VAT system.
Official website: https://www.viciunai.com (corporate) — consumer brand: https://www.vici.eu
Official email: Not centrally published in the sources consulted. Corporate contact is typically provided via the website contact form or specific subsidiary pages.
Registered office (buveinė): Kaunas, Lithuania. The exact legal registered address and phone number should be verified via the Centre of Registers or Rekvizitai.lt; public press and packaging commonly indicate Kaunas as the HQ city, but the precise address is not cited in the sources below.
Note: For legal certainty (įmonės kodas, PVM kodas, registered address and phone), please consult the official Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities or the company’s own latest corporate disclosures.

Business Operations

Main products and services:
• Surimi products (imitation crab sticks and related surimi-based lines)
• Frozen fish and seafood products (including value-added, breaded and ready-to-heat items)
• Dumplings, pelmeni, khinkali, gyoza and other frozen convenience foods
• Ready meals and snacks for retail and foodservice channels
• Private label manufacturing for retail chains in selected markets
• Distribution and logistics for the group’s own brands and partner assortments

Brands: The group’s flagship consumer brand is „VIČI“. Sub-brands and product lines vary by market and category.

Business model: Vertically integrated food manufacturing and multi-country distribution. The group supplies major retail chains, HoReCa/foodservice distributors, and export partners under the „VIČI“ brand and private label. Operations combine product development, manufacturing, cold-chain logistics, and sales organizations across key European markets.

Market position: Vičiūnai Group is widely recognized as one of the leading surimi and value-added seafood producers in Europe, with a substantial share in the regional imitation crab/surimi sticks category and a strong presence in frozen dumplings and convenience foods in Central and Eastern Europe.

History

Founding and early years (1991–2000s): The group was founded in Kaunas in the early 1990s by Lithuanian entrepreneurs including Visvaldas Matijošaitis and Liudas Skierus. It began with seafood and frozen products and steadily built the „VIČI“ brand domestically and in neighboring markets.

Expansion (2000s–2010s): Vičiūnai expanded production capacity in Lithuania and developed sales subsidiaries in the Baltics, Poland, Germany, Spain, the UK and other European markets. It diversified into a broad range of frozen and chilled convenience foods, while scaling export operations, private label capabilities, and distribution infrastructure.

International footprint and restructuring (2010s–2020s): The group operated multiple production sites and sales companies across Europe. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the group announced plans to exit operations in Russia and wind down/sell related assets. Public reporting through 2023–2024 covered the progress, challenges, and timelines of this exit. The group continued to focus on the EU market, product innovation, and strengthening of its European supply chain.

Financial Information

Revenue: As a privately held group, audited consolidated financials are not regularly published in full detail. Lithuanian business press has reported group-level revenues in the high hundreds of millions of euros to around one billion euros in the period leading up to 2022 (figures vary by year and consolidation perimeter). Exact, up-to-date revenue should be taken from the company’s latest official reports or verified media disclosures.

Funding and capital structure: Vičiūnai Group is privately owned; there are no public records of classical venture capital rounds. Financing historically comprised shareholder capital and bank financing typical for manufacturing and FMCG groups.

Ownership: The group has been associated with its founders and related holding entities connected to the Matijošaitis and Skierus families. Any changes in ownership or share transfers should be confirmed via the Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities and current corporate disclosures.

Leadership and Management

Founders: Visvaldas Matijošaitis; Liudas Skierus.
Governance and management: The group operates through a corporate center and numerous subsidiaries. Publicly listed, consistently updated rosters of executives (vadovai) and board members are not centrally published in the sources consulted. Key roles typically include Group CEO/General Manager (generalinis direktorius), CFO/Finance Director, and functional directors (Operations, Sales, Marketing, Quality/Technologies).
Note: For the current, official list of executives and board members (with full names and positions), consult the company’s corporate site or filings in the Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities.

Office Locations

Head office: Kaunas, Lithuania (exact registered address not confirmed in the sources consulted).
Regional presence: Sales and distribution companies in multiple European markets (Baltics, Poland, Germany, Spain, UK and others). Production footprint concentrated in Lithuania and selected EU countries.
Note: Full addresses and direct phone numbers for each office vary by subsidiary and market and are typically listed on local subsidiary websites or the corporate site’s contact directory. These details were not uniformly available in the sources consulted.

Market Position

Competitors: In Europe’s surimi and value-added seafood categories, competing players include major international seafood processors (e.g., Thai Union (King Oscar in Baltics, though not surimi-specific), Nippon Suisan (Nissui), and various EU-based processors), as well as regional producers such as Espersen (fish processing with presence in the Baltics) and numerous private label manufacturers supplying European retailers. In frozen dumplings and convenience foods, competitors include local/regional producers and private label manufacturers across Central and Eastern Europe.

Market share: The group is commonly cited in trade publications as a leading European surimi/seafood value-added producer, but precise, audited market share data by country/category are not publicly disclosed on a recurring basis.

Competitive advantages:
• Strong brand equity of „VIČI“ in Baltics and CEE
• Broad product portfolio spanning seafood, surimi, and frozen convenience
• Multi-country distribution and private label capabilities
• Emphasis on product development, quality systems, and cold-chain logistics

Recent Developments

2022–2024 Russia exit/restructuring: The group announced the decision to exit the Russian market following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and reported steps to wind down/sell the Russian operations, a process covered by Lithuanian and international media. Timelines, legal processes, and counterparty details evolved over 2023–2024. Stakeholders should consult the newest corporate statements and reliable media for status updates.

EU market focus and innovation: The group has communicated continued investment in its EU production and distribution base, product renovation (cleaner labels, convenience, Asian-style dumplings/gyoza, value-added seafood), and customer partnerships with European retailers and foodservice distributors.

Contact Information

Corporate website: https://www.viciunai.com
Consumer brand website: https://www.vici.eu
General contact: Corporate contact forms and local subsidiary contacts are provided via the websites above.
Email: A central public email address was not reliably identified in the sources consulted; use the website contact form or local subsidiary contact emails.
Phone: Not publicly confirmed here for the registered HQ. Local office phone numbers vary by country/subsidiary and are typically listed on the respective local pages.

Notes on Data Gaps

While this profile provides a comprehensive overview, certain legally sensitive identifiers (įmonės kodas, PVM kodas), the exact registered office address, and direct phone numbers were not included due to a lack of confirmable, up-to-date public listings in the sources consulted without registry access. For authoritative and current legal/contact information, please consult:
• Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities (Juridinių asmenų registras, State Enterprise Centre of Registers)
• Rekvizitai.lt company directory entry for „VIČIŪNŲ GRUPĖ, UAB“
• The company’s most recent official publications or announcements.

Sources and References

• Vičiūnai Group corporate site: https://www.viciunai.com
• VIČI consumer brand site: https://www.vici.eu
• Lithuanian Register of Legal Entities (Centre of Registers): https://www.registrucentras.lt (official source for company codes, registered addresses, management)
• Rekvizitai.lt (Lithuanian business directory) – search for „VIČIŪNŲ GRUPĖ, UAB“: https://rekvizitai.vz.lt
• Verslo žinios (Lithuanian business press) – coverage of Vičiūnai Group revenues and market updates: https://www.vz.lt
• 15min.lt and Delfi.lt – reporting on the group’s Russia exit and related developments: https://www.15min.lt, https://www.delfi.lt
• EU VIES VAT number validation (for confirming VAT codes): https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/