Mulan focuses on frozen food and exports to grow in large-scale retail

Eight million spring rolls and over 25 million ravioli and gyoza produced every year, with a presence in around 8.000 outlets across Italy and Europe. These are the figures for Mulan Group, a company that in recent years has supported the growth of Asian cuisine in Italian large-scale retail.

Giada Zhang is explaining the evolution of the market and the company’s journey, founder and CEO of Mulan Group.

How are you performing this 2026?

The start of the year confirms the trend of growing volumes: our products are moving off the shelves increasingly quickly, enabling us to expand the space allocated to them in the leading retail chains. The impetus is coming from new products and growing demand for fresh and ready-to-eat Asian cuisine.

How is the ethnic food market performing in Italy?

Ethnic food in Italy continues to grow and is moving out of its niche to become part of everyday consumption. The global ethnic food market is estimated at around 49 billion dollars in 2025, with an average annual growth rate of more than8% over the coming years, while Asian cuisine remains among the most sought-after. There is also a fundamental cultural shift: in 2025 the share of Italians tied exclusively to traditional habits is falling, while the number of people who identify with more innovative and adventurous eating styles is growing.

How is your offering for large-scale retail structured?

Our range covers the main Asian cuisines (Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese) in fresh and frozen formats, ready in just a few minutes: steamed dumplings and gyoza, spring rolls, Cantonese rice, noodles, pad Thai, teriyaki chicken and other specialities. We make everything with Italian ingredients at 95% in our facility in Cremona and supply large-scale retail both under our own brand Mulan and with private-label.

Which products are driving growth?

Growth is being driven by the category of ravioli and steamed dumplings, which remain at the heart of our offering, and by the expansion of the frozen range, enabling us to cover more consumption occasions and extend our geographical reach.

Are you present throughout the country?

We are distributed nationwide through the leading retail chains, with historically stronger penetration in the north and considerable growth potential in central and southern Italy. Alongside this, we also have food delivery, our online channel and an international presence in France, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

Are you planning to launch any new products?

Yes. Innovation is taking three directions: authenticity, with recipes faithful to Asian tradition but made using an Italian supply chain; accessibility, with formats designed for everyday shopping rather than just special occasions; and expansion into more cuisines, from Chinese and Japanese to Thai and Vietnamese.

How has the role of ethnic products in Italian large-scale retail evolved, and what challenges lie ahead?

Ethnic products have gone from being an occasional assortment, confined to a single shelf, to a stable category planned by retailers. Consumers have changed too: the category is no longer niche, increasingly attracting curious, urban Italians of all ages, with younger consumers leading the way and families joining in steadily. The growth potential remains high, because Italy is still less developed than other European markets, with central and southern Italy offering the greatest headroom. The main challenges concern balancing authenticity with industrialisation, price sensitivity in an inflationary environment and, finally, the new European packaging rules.

In terms of sustainability, which areas are you working on?

Our model is sustainable by design: producing in Italy with Italian ingredients at 95% shortens the supply chain and reduces transport compared with importing products from Asia. In future, we will work on increasingly recyclable packaging, also in view of the new European regulations, on the plant’s energy efficiency and on reducing production waste.

Are you planning any investments?

Yes, to increase production capacity and industrialisation. We are also focusing onautomation of the production lines and on research and development of new products, while always keeping quality and freshness as our priorities.

Objectives for 2026?

For 2026 the aim is to continue achieving double-digit volume growth, expanding shelf space in large-scale retail chains, increasing our focus on frozen food and strengthening exports. The medium-term ambition remains to consolidate our leadership in ready-to-eat Asian cuisine in Italy and grow as a European player.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.