The River Fish story is the origin of a unique freshwater canning technology developed from scratch.
River Fish · 2004 — 2026
Our Story
The River Fish story began in 2004, when a technology for canning freshwater fish simply did not exist.
A technology that didn’t exist. Built by one man. Interrupted by reality. Preserved in 6,000 cans.
Milovan Trišić · Founder of River Fish · Belgrade
The Beginning
The River Fish story:
A technology that didn’t exist
In 2004, Milovan Trišić had a clear idea: to create canned freshwater fish without additives or preservatives. He spent nearly a year searching for an existing technology — and discovered it simply didn’t exist.
This was the beginning of the River Fish story — a process that would redefine how freshwater fish could be preserved.
“After almost a year of searching, I came to the realization that such technology does not exist. At the end of 2004, I decided to start creating the necessary tools and machines and developing the technology for canning freshwater fish myself.”
Two years of intensive work followed. In April 2007, Trišić registered River Fish DOO and began production with full HACCP certification from day one. Over the following years, the technology was applied to carp, pike-perch, catfish, and rainbow trout — serving markets across Europe. The result was unlike anything on the market: freshwater fish, no additives, edible bones, hermetically sealed.
History
From idea to legendary product
Milovan Trišić begins searching for freshwater fish canning technology. After a year of research, he discovers it doesn’t exist. He decides to create it himself — from scratch, without precedent.
Trišić designs the necessary machines and tools himself, develops the sterilization and thermostatting process, tests and refines. The result: a unique technology — 20 minutes at 120°C sterilization + 21 days thermostatting — that produces shelf-stable fish with edible bones and zero additives.
April 2007 — the company is registered in Belgrade. Production begins with HACCP certification from day one. River Fish becomes the first and only producer of canned freshwater fish in Serbia, applying the technology to carp, pike-perch, catfish, and rainbow trout.
The Serbian market is small. Cross-border regulations are complex. Fish supply chains are restricted. Access to financing for expansion is unavailable. Trišić decides to seek a strategic partner who can help scale the technology — ideally within the EU.
October 17, 2016. The last major production run: 10,000 cans of lightly smoked rainbow trout from Lake Zaovine, destined for European markets. Trišić meets Miroslav Todorović. An agreement is reached. This moment became a defining point in the River Fish story — not a failure, but a pause. But the obstacles prove insurmountable. River Fish closes — not because the technology failed, but because the environment made continuation impossible.
6,000 cans remain. Stored in a cool, dry space. The years pass quietly. The “best before” date — a legal maximum at the time of production — comes and goes. But the sterilized trout inside continues to mature, undisturbed, like a sealed bottle of wine.
A can is finally opened. The trout is better than expected — richer, more complex, softer. Like aged cheese or a fine vintage wine. The decision is made: this is not just old stock. This is a millésime. Last Catch 2016. And the story is not over — Milovan Trišić is alive, the technology still exists, and the vision of what comes next remains.
Origin
Lake Zaovine
The Jewel of Tara
Every can of Last Catch 2016 begins here — in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Zaovine, a pristine reservoir on Mount Tara in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. Known locally as the “Jewel of Tara,” the lake sits at 900 meters above sea level, fed by glacial springs.
The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was raised in aquacultures that mimic its natural mountain habitat, fed high-quality, non-GMO feed in water naturally filtered through the Tara mountains.
From the lake to the can — and nothing between but beechwood smoke, sunflower oil and sea salt.
In his own words
A letter from the inventor
In 2004, I came up with the idea of setting up a production for canning freshwater fish in metal packaging, believing that the technology already existed and just needed to be implemented. I started asking around and searching for it but after almost a year of searching I came to the realization that such technology does not exist.
At the end of 2004, I decided to start creating the necessary tools and machines and developing the technology for canning freshwater fish. It took two years of round-the-clock work and a lot of investment to finally master it — to create a unique process and technology for canning freshwater fish, which I named RIVER FISH.
In April 2007, I registered the company RIVER FISH DOO and started production of canned freshwater fish using my technology. For the first time, RIVER FISH freshwater fish appeared as a widely consumed product — and most importantly, it could be eaten without fear of bones.
Due to the very small market, limited market conditions, Serbia’s slow path to the EU and uncertain borders, I was unable to develop production to the scale I wanted, and I did not dare to accept export contracts because I could not guarantee delivery schedules.
That is why in 2015 I decided to look for a strategic partner. In 2016, I met Mr. Miroslav Todorović. The technology, the machines, and the vision still exist. The story of River Fish is not finished — it is waiting for the right conditions to continue.
The final trace
What remains today is not inventory.
It is the final physical trace of the River Fish story — a technology that once existed and will never return in this form again.
Last Catch 2016 is not a reproduction.
It is the end.
The technology endures.
This vintage does not.
6,000 cans. The last series ever made from this lake, in this year. Secure one while it still exists.
Secure Last Catch 2016 from the River Fish story · €45