AB Akola Group, a leading Baltic agricultural company, is investing EUR52 million in 2026-2027 to modernize its food production operations, with major focus on upgrading poultry processing facilities, automating dairy farming, and improving grain handling infrastructure to increase profitability and supply chain resilience.
- AB Akola invested EUR212 million over five years in agrifood businesses across Lithuania
- EUR52 million planned for 2026-2027, with EUR38 million dedicated to food processing modernization including poultry slaughter system upgrades
- Major projects include grain elevator purchase (EUR4.5 million), dairy farm automation (EUR5 million), and mill renovation (EUR6 million)
- The Baltic group operates over 60 locations across four business segments with more than 5,000 employees and reported EUR1.5 billion in consolidated revenue
- Investment strategy focuses on reducing costs, expanding value-added products, and improving resilience to raw material market volatility
Over the past five years, the AB Akola Group has invested EUR212 million (US$237 million) in its various agrifood businesses in Lithuania.
For 2026-2027, most of the planned total investment funding of EUR52 million will be spent on the group’s food production business segment.
By focusing on expanding production of value-added products and reducing costs, the company seeks to increase both its profitability and return on investment, according to Mažvydas Šileika. A board member for the group, he is also deputy general director for finance and investment.
Among the company’s plans for the year are the purchase of a grain elevator, updated farm automation, and improvements to its warehousing stocks.
Improvements in poultry processing, farming
Of the total investment budgeted by AB Akola in 2026-2027, EUR38 million will go into its Food Processing operations, including upgrading the poultry slaughter system, and an additional processing line for fried chicken products.
Other plans include modernizing the incubator at the group’s Vilnius Poultry Farm, as well as other infrastructure and poultry farming initiatives.
Improvements to the storage capacity and renovation of the mill at Kauno Grūdai are expected to take a further EUR6 million. The group expects this investment to increase its resilience to raw material market volatility.
The group is planning a further EUR5 million to automate routine work at its dairy farm, and to upgrade its feed production and storage for its Farming division.
For Šileika, targeted mechanization and upgrading of technical systems can contribute to increase business efficiencies.
Elevator to improve grain handling
Another of the group’s businesses — Partnership with Farmers — is set to benefit from a EUR9 million in the current financial year.
Around half of this is planned for the purchase of a grain elevator, which is expected to improve the raw material supply chain for the group.
More on AB Akola Group
According to the firm’s web site, AB Akola comprises the leading group of agriculture and food companies in the Baltic States.
It was founded in 1991 and has expanded to more than 60 locations for its four business segments. Its operations in grain trading began 33 years ago, and has been in poultry production for 11 years. Its most recent diversification was into grain processing in 2023.
With a workforce of over 5,000, the group includes Kauno grūdai, Linas Agro, Vilniaus paukštynas, Kaišiadorių paukštynas, and Dotnuva Baltic, covering the food chain from farm to fork.
The group’s poultry businesses include Vilniaus paukštynas (Vilnius Poultry) and Kaišiadorių paukštynas (Kaišiadorys Poultry Farm). Both of these cover the farming of poultry for meat and eggs, raising chickens, and chicken meat products.
Kauno grūdai (Kaunus Grains) produces compound feed, premixes and pet foods, as well as supplying animal health, hygiene, and pest control products. This business also produces foods, including flour, breadcrumbs, instant foods, and ready-to-eat lines.
The group has also developed biomethane and other renewable energy projects under the umbrella of UAB Akola Bioenergy.
For the last financial year, the group reported consolidated revenue of EUR1.5 billion, and net profit of EUR43 million.
