Lithuania's Kėdainiai Cannery Aims for Record Pickle Production

The cucumber pickling season has begun at the Kėdainiai Cannery, with ambitious plans to produce over 4 million jars of pickled cucumbers this year, a significant increase from last year. The company aims to process a large volume of high-quality raw materials during the short fresh cucumber season.

"The fresh cucumber season is short, so we must process as much top-quality raw material as possible. This year, we plan to produce more than last year – over 4 million jars of pickled cucumbers loved by Lithuanians," said Zita Petkevičienė, production and supply chain director at Kėdainiai Cannery. The factory's products are not only popular domestically but are also exported to more than 30 countries worldwide.

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The fresh cucumber season is short, so we must process as much top-quality raw material as possible. This year, we plan to produce more than last year – over 4 million jars of pickled cucumbers loved by Lithuanians.

The pickling season is one of the most intensive periods at the factory. Each cucumber undergoes numerous quality control stages, including washing, cleaning, inspection, blanching, and the addition of traditional spices like dill, bay leaves, and oak leaves. The process is largely automated, with cucumbers being automatically portioned into jars, weighed, filled with marinade, and sealed. Post-pasteurization, X-ray systems check for foreign objects before labeling and packaging.

While small pickled cucumbers (6-9 cm) remain the most popular, with 12 different recipes and packaging formats available, the factory is also introducing a new sweet and sour mini-cucumber product (3-6 cm). This year, they anticipate using about 40 tons of fresh dill and continue to hand-pick oak leaves for specific recipes, emphasizing the importance of fresh ingredients for authentic flavor. Last year's successful launch of pickled cucumbers with honey and mustard, based on a family recipe and packaged in recycled glass, also highlighted the company's commitment to sustainability.

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Authentic taste starts with ingredients. That's why even today we use fresh herbs, which give our products their unique flavor.