POLAND
Seko is expanding – again
A new line of products for younger consumers Production at Seko, a ďŹ sh processor, started in 1992 in Gdynia and then moved to Chojnice three years later. In 2007 the company listed on the Warsaw stock exchange, among the ďŹ rst seafood processors to do so. Today, Seko is an established name on the Polish market with over 200 products in 17 categories.
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ince its inception over a quarter of a century ago Seko has not stood still. Production capacity has been expanding over the years as has the number of employees and the product portfolio. Today, Seko is rolling out a fresh look for its products with attractive new labels in several colours.
Family-owned despite a stock exchange listing Despite its listing on the Warsaw stock exchange Seko is still a family-owned company, with the family holding 67 of the shares. The purpose of the listing was to get funding to build a new production plant, says Iwona Nitka, the export manager. Today the production area totals 16,000 sq. m, part of which was also built with support from EU funds. In 2018 the company is planning to further expand capacity at the factory, by adding more space to the existing plant. Demand for the company’s products has been growing and it wants to be prepared not only to meet this demand, but also to set new trends, for example, in products aimed at young people. This is a market segment that has so far been difficult to penetrate and the company wants the some of the space in the new factory to be dedicated to products that cater to this elusive group, as well as to children. While not everything
Iwona Nitka, Export Manager; Kazimierz Kustra, Seko’s founder; Magdalena Marciniak, Export Manager; and Dariusz Zmija, General Manager.
about the coming range of products can be disclosed, Ms Nitka does report that they will have no added preserving agents, sweeteners or other additives. We see that products without extraneous chemicals are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. The new plant will also be used to produce ready meals, a development that is also becoming apparent in Poland.
Herring is highly popular in Poland Seko has traditionally specialised in the production of marinated
herring in different sauces or in herring rolls wrapped around different kinds of stuffing. These, the company has noticed, tend to appeal to older consumers, while younger consumers, who form an important segment of the market, tend to have different preferences. The new factory will try and cater to the latter demographic group. The portfolio of products based on herring is staggering and forms some 80 of the total output. A fifth of this is products based on Baltic herring, for the rest it is all the Atlantic variety. The fish is combined with other ingredients in all kinds
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of ways – in oil, fried, marinated, in brine etc. In addition to a wide range of marinated products the company also produces sterilised products in cans, in jelly, and frozen products like fish fingers. The company also adapts products to its customers’ requirements, as tastes vary from region to region and from country to country. For example, for Germany, herring fillets are processed with cream and have a shelf life of 21 days. This is a private label product, but because Seko is a large company (500 employees) it can adjust the production to the satisfaction of the client. This means that what &VSPl TI ).)A05,