Russia's popular canned label getting boost from production at leading canneries
In the recent years Russia has seen strengthening of market positions of canned fish products. Pelikan TM owned by Kaliningrad-based Baltiiskaya Gildia (Baltic Gild) is one of the most popular labels in the segment.
The company has recently launched a new canned squid range claimed to have no analogues on the Russian market. The range is made from fresh squid in Peru. Pelikan-labelled squid is cut into cubes and packed into two types of cans: 170-gram easy-open cans for fast lunch and 425-gram cans for cooking.
In the short term future the company is planning expansion of its range by Murmansk products such as cod liver, cod roes, cod liver and roes pastes and canned pink salmon from the Russian Far East.
In the meantime, a line of sprat products is also about to be launched.
In spring current the company is going to launch premium-class products such as natural crabs, smoked octopus in oil, natural shrimps and seafood cocktail.
Taking into account the consumer bias to healthy food, the company has also diversified into production of Pelikan-labelled canned tuna range. Pelikan tuna is made in Thailand where there is the world's third leading factory in terms of fish catches and quality of its processing.
Baltiiskaya Gildia works with six plants located in Russia (Kaliningrad), Thailand and Peru. The firm's headquarters are located in Kaliningrad. In order to secure reliable supply of the complete product range for its distributors and to attract new clients the company opened an office in Moscow in 2006 and in the current year 2007 the firm is planning to open an office in Saint Petersburg.
Along with the above, the company's plans 2007 provide for further development and improvement of distribution channels. Now such distribution outlets have been set up in 20 cities of Russia and the company has been establishing cooperation with the CIS countries and other foreign states. The firm's products are exported to Israel and Belarus.