Zini: innovation and tradition at the heart of frozen fresh pasta

Zini continues to strengthen its position in the market for frozen fresh pasta and ready meals.

Founded in Milan in 1956 by Euride Zini, who brought the gastronomic expertise of Emilia and the culture of handmade pasta to the Lombard capital, the company has built a production model over the years based on the quality of its raw materials and natural preservation through freezing, avoiding the use of colourings and additives.

Today, the company, which in 2025 achieved a turnover of 33 million euros, generates 70% of its business through the food service and horeca channels and the remaining 30% through industry and retail, operating in an evolving market in which premium products, convenience and the pursuit of “restaurant-quality” experiences are redefining purchasing choices.

Against this backdrop, Zini is focusing on innovation, recipes with high added value and the development of plant-based and functional offerings, while keeping tradition at the heart of its work. We discussed this with Arianna Errante, marketing director at Pastificio Zini.

What picture is consumption painting in these first months of 2026?

Consumption is showing a degree of caution, but we are seeing encouraging signs, particularly in the higher-value segments. In particular, products that combine high quality, convenience and versatility are performing well.

How is the relationship between fresh, frozen and ambient products evolving in the ready meals and filled pasta category?

We are seeing an evolution increasingly centred on complementarity between the different segments. Fresh products continue to be perceived as traditional and immediate, while frozen products are gaining ground thanks to their ability to guarantee quality and safety while reducing waste. In particular, in the world of ready meals and filled pasta, frozen products are increasingly meeting the need for flexibility and consumption planning, both for end consumers and for supply-chain operators.

What trends are you observing in modern grocery retail?

In large-scale retail, we are seeing growing attention paid to premium products, carefully crafted recipes and selected ingredients, with positioning increasingly close to that of the food-service sector. At the same time, interest is growing in innovative offerings with a more advanced nutritional profile, such as vegetable-based recipes and high-protein products. Thanks to our technology and the know-how developed in frozen fresh pasta, we can work on solutions that combine taste, convenience and nutritional value. One example is the Gemme range, dedicated to vegetable and pulse-based gnocchi, and the Seitan braised-meat Tortelloni, a 100% vegetable offering that combines tradition and innovation by reinterpreting filled pasta in a contemporary way.

How significant is the “restaurant at home” trend in the development of your offering?

The “restaurant at home” trend continues to be one of the main drivers of category development. Consumers are looking for solutions that combine convenience and quality, with a consumption experience increasingly close to that of eating out. This translates into growing demand for premium products, characterised by more sophisticated recipes, selected ingredients and a strong gastronomic identity. As an industrial player, our role is to support customers, particularly producers of ready meals, by offering high-quality bases and innovative solutions that enable them to meet these expectations while maintaining production efficiency. At the same time, we are also developing a retail offering in precisely this direction: bringing a high-quality culinary experience into consumers’ homes through products that showcase quality, taste and naturalness, without using preservatives, relying solely on freezing.

What direction is innovation taking in fresh pasta and ready meals?

Innovation is moving along two main paths. On the one hand, there is a reinterpretation of tradition, with recipes that recover authentic flavours and local identities while reinterpreting them in a contemporary way. On the other, there is the development of more inclusive and functional offerings, such as plant-based or high-protein products. One concrete example is the work we are carrying out on our vegetable ranges, where we offer both healthier solutions and gourmet products that reinterpret iconic dishes in a 100% plant-based style, while retaining taste and quality. In general, innovation today cannot disregard a balance between tradition, wellbeing and sustainability.

Have you had to deal with any particular supply-chain difficulties over the past year?

The current context remains complex, with sharp fluctuations in raw-material costs, logistical difficulties and general cost pressures. In this scenario, it is becoming increasingly important to have control over the supply chain and to guarantee transparency and ingredient quality. To mark our 70th anniversary, we chose to turn this complexity into an opportunity by developing projects such as Sorrisi Italiani: a range that showcases a 100% Italian supply chain and simple yet excellent ingredients. It is a conscious return to our roots, placing tradition and the quality of raw materials at the centre, from durum-wheat semolina and fresh eggs to selected ingredients such as ricotta, spinach and matured cheeses, reinterpreted in a contemporary way.

So is tradition becoming “fashionable” again?

We are seeing a clear evolution in consumption: producers of ready meals are rediscovering traditional, often local, recipes to meet the needs of consumers who are increasingly focused on convenience, quality and flexibility. In this context, our role as an industrial player in frozen fresh pasta is to support customers with high-quality products, assisting them in developing an offering that reflects these new market needs.

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.