Lisner

What Lisner does

Lisner is a Polish manufacturer of chilled ready-to-eat food products, headquartered in Poznań with a secondary production facility in Charzyno. Founded in 1991, the company produces a portfolio of more than 162 SKUs organized into three core categories: fish (94 products, anchored on herring sourced from the North-East Atlantic), sandwich spreads (31 products under the Pastella and TaPasta brands), and prepared salads (37 products). The company self-describes as the leader of the Polish market for herring, salads, and sandwich spreads, and targets both everyday and occasion-based consumption (Christmas, Easter, parties) across single-serve, family, and bulk packaging formats.

The business operates as a consumer packaged goods (CPG) food manufacturer under the Lisner brand and sub-brands (Pastella, TaPasta, Smakiem Krojone, Lisner Premium Selection, La Tuna, Street Fish, Roślinny na raz, O Mamo!, Śledziki na raz). Underlying operations are food processing and chilled manufacturing, governed by BRC (British Retail Consortium), IFS (International Food Standard), Kosher, and MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certifications. Lisner is wholly owned by Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller S.e.c.s. (UTM), a pan-European food conglomerate best known for the Müller dairy brand, which provides strategic backing, shared services, and access to European distribution networks. The 2022 acquisition of Graal, a Polish canned fish producer, was fully operationally integrated in 2024.

Lisner sells its products through retail and wholesale distribution channels to end consumers across Poland and Europe. Revenue is generated from product sales of branded chilled ready-to-eat fish products, spreads, and salads, with retail pricing determined by the retailers themselves rather than publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via retail/grocery stores, supported by a corporate website featuring recipe content, a blog with culinary and health content, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram), and newsletter/email communications. Celebrity chef Michel Moran has served as brand ambassador since 2010, collaborating on limited-edition seasonal flavors.

Name

Lisner

Legal name

Lisner Poznań Sp. z o.o. sp.k.

Website

https://lisner.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lisner is a Polish manufacturer of chilled ready-to-eat fish products, sandwich spreads, and salads, serving retail consumers across Poland and Europe as a subsidiary of Germany's Müller Group (UTM). It leads the Polish market in herring, spreads, and salads with 162+ SKUs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chilled Seafood and Prepared Foods

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Chilled/Refrigerated Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals (AFANAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen & Refrigerated Snack Foods (Ice Cream Novelties, Snack Bites) (CRADABAL), Frozen Entrées & Complete Meals (CRADADAA)

Keywords

• Chilled fish products
• Herring specialties
• Sandwich spreads
• Ready-to-eat salads
• Polish seafood

Headquarters

HQ city

Poznan

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Chilled prepared food products: Lisner generates revenue from manufacturing and selling chilled ready-to-eat fish products, herring specialties, sandwich spreads (pasty/kanapkowe), and salads. Revenue is derived from product sales through retail distribution channels. The company operates as a consumer packaged goods (CPG) food manufacturer, selling branded products under the Lisner and related sub-brands (Pastella, TaPasta, Smakiem Krojone, Lisner Premium Selection, etc.).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lisner manufactures and sells chilled ready-to-eat food products — primarily herring-based fish specialities (94 SKUs), sandwich spreads (31 SKUs under the Pastella, TaPasta and DIP brands) and prepared salads (37 SKUs) — through retail and wholesale grocery channels in Poland and Europe. The company operates production facilities in Poznań and Charzyno under BRC, IFS, Kosher and MSC certifications and sells under brands including Lisner, Pastella, TaPasta, La Tuna, Smakiem Krojone and Lisner Premium Selection. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of the German Müller Group (UTM), it leverages the parent's pan-European distribution and shared services.

Product overview

Lisner is a Polish food manufacturer producing a diversified portfolio of chilled ready-to-eat products, primarily centered on herring (śledź) as its core offering, complemented by sandwich spreads (pasty) and prepared salads (sałatki). The product architecture consists of three main categories: Ryby (Fish) with 94 products including herring fillets, smoked fish, tuna, and mackerel; Pasty (Spreads) with 31 products under the Pastella and TaPasta brands; and Sałatki (Salads) with 37 products spanning vegetable, egg, fish, and meat varieties. Key product lines include Smakiem Krojone (pre-cut herring in regional Polish preparations), Lisner Premium Selection (premium gourmet herring), Śledziki na raz (single-serve herring snacks), Chrupiąca Rybka (crispy fried fish snacks), La Tuna (tuna products), Street Fish (ready-to-eat fish street food), Pastella (sandwich spreads in egg, fish, and vegetable varieties), TaPasta (vegetable spreads), and O Mamo! (large-format family salads). The company also offers plant-based options under the Roślinny na raz line. The portfolio targets various consumption occasions from everyday meals to special occasions, with packaging sizes ranging from single-serve (100g) to family-size (2500g).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pastella: Sandwich spreads/pasty brand including egg spreads, fish spreads, and vegetable spreads
• TaPasta
• La Tuna

Products and services

• Ryby (Fish) — Herring Fillets

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GraalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lisner and Graal, a Polish canned fish producer, combined forces in 2022. Based on the experience of both brands, they jointly offer consumers higher quality and a greater selection of products. Graal was acquired from Abris Capital Partners.
• Michel MoranminorOthersMichel Moran became the face of Lisner in 2010, beginning a collaboration that introduced limited edition seasonal flavors and increased brand visibility through celebrity endorsement.
• Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller S.e.c.s. (Müller Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisner is part of the pan-European food conglomerate Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller S.e.c.s., best known as the owner of the Müller dairy brand. The Müller Group provides strategic backing, shared services including tax and accounting, Group-wide policies (tax strategy, food safety standards), and access to European distribution networks.
• Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller Group — Intragroup Service ProviderminorOthersLisner has contracted an intragroup service provider (related party within the Müller Group) for tax compliance, accounting, bookkeeping, tax return preparation, representation before tax authorities, and other professional services. This arrangement aims to streamline and unify tax processes within the Group.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Indykpol: Polish poultry processor and prepared-foods manufacturer supplying chilled and processed poultry products to Polish grocery retail. Comparable in chilled prepared-foods manufacturing, retail-channel relationships, and Polish consumer-brand building.
• Sokołów: One of Poland's largest processed meat producers offering chilled ready-to-eat sausages, hams, and convenience foods. Operates in the same Polish retail channel with comparable chilled prepared-foods positioning and customer base.
• Animex Foods: Polish meat and poultry processor owned by Smithfield/WH Group, with strong chilled prepared-foods presence in Polish retail. Competes for similar chilled-meal occasions, retailer shelf space, and supply-chain scale advantages.
• Hochland Polska: Polish arm of Hochland Group producing chilled dairy-based spreads and processed cheeses sold in Polish grocery retail. Comparable in the chilled convenience category, retail-channel distribution, and ready-to-eat consumption occasions.

Direct peers

• King Oscar: Norwegian-origin canned fish and seafood brand owned by Thai Union, distributed across European grocery channels. Directly comparable product set (canned herring, mackerel, sardines) and similar B2C retail positioning in chilled/fish ambient categories.
• Graal: Polish canned fish producer acquired by Lisner in 2022 and fully integrated in 2024. Operates in the same Polish fish/seafood category with overlapping retail customers and complementary canned vs. chilled formats.

Broad incumbents

• Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate and owner of King Oscar, Chicken of the Sea, and John West brands. Operates at vastly larger scale but directly comparable in canned/ambient fish CPG categories and European retail distribution.
• Orkla Foods (Rieber & Søn): Scandinavian food conglomerate whose portfolio includes Rieber & Søn fish/seafood brands and other chilled convenience products. Comparable in serving European retail with branded fish and prepared foods across multiple categories.

Emerging players

• Pamapol: Polish convenience foods producer focused on ready meals, frozen foods, and chilled prepared dishes. Competes in overlapping ready-to-eat and chilled convenience categories within Polish retail, though with broader meal-format portfolio.
• Stokvis Group (Fish & Seafood): Netherlands-based supplier of chilled and processed fish products to European retail and food service. Comparable in fish CPG processing and European distribution, though primarily a private-label and B2B supplier rather than a Polish branded leader.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uniq-lisner

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lisner