Cherkizovo Group to change name of its Sibylla business to VkusON

Moscow, Russia – September 30 – Cherkizovo Group, Russia’s largest meat producer, will rebrand its Sybilla fast food business until the end of the year. The new name, VkusON (literally translated as “TasteON”), is aimed at highlighting the pleasure that comes with eating.

Sibylla Rus, a fast food business that Cherkizovo Group acquired from Finland’s Atria in May 2022, has been selling ready-to-cook solutions for hot dogs, burgers, tortillas, etc. for 16 years now. Meat for these products comes from the Pit-Product facility in the Leningrad Region and is supplied to shop-in-shop establishments, mainly at gas stations. Currently, Sibylla Rus services 4,600 locations across Russia (from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok) and the CIS (Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan).

The agreement with Atria does not include the Sibylla brand, so Cherkizovo Group was looking for a new name for the project. To that end, it engaged M-Effect / RAPP Moscow, a recognized international agency and part of the M-Holding group of companies. After testing several options among the target audience, Cherkizovo decided to go with the VkusON brand name.

“Taste is a major driver of success for all of Cherkizovo Group’s meat products, and we wanted to highlight this idea in the name of our fast food business – it’s pretty much a call to action for consumers to turn their taste on. Everything else has remained unchanged: highly qualified team with an extensive track record in the industry, best suppliers of all ingredients, state-of-the-art meat processing facility with consistent quality, and certainly our status as a reliable partner in food service,” said Konstantin Kononov, Executive Director of Food Service Sales and member of Cherkizovo Group’s Management Board.

Going forward, the VkusON business plans to spur the demand of its key products at existing locations and extend its distribution coverage by reaching out to sports facilities, parks, and recreation areas. Additionally, VkusON intends to increase its presence in the CIS, including by penetration into new markets in the region. By the end of 2022, the number of locations serviced by VkusON is expected to come close to 5,000. Expansion is set to continue into next year, with some 500–700 new locations to be added to the existing partner base. Beyond geography and distribution, VkusON will also be growing its product portfolio and assortment mix.