During a recent interview at a major trade exhibition, representatives from Master Martini shared insights into the company’s history, product strategy, and approach to navigating the fast-evolving bakery and café sector, particularly in Korea and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Master Martini operates under the Italian parent company Unigrà, which has more than forty years of experience in the global food-ingredient market.
As Unigrà’s core professional brand, Master Martini offers a comprehensive portfolio that includes pastry creams, toppings, chocolate products, gelato bases, frozen desserts, and vegetable-based UHT creams for both whipping and cooking.
These solutions are designed to meet the needs of cafés, bakeries, hotels, and large-scale food manufacturers around the world.
While Unigrà’s main production hub and headquarters remain in Italy, the company established a second major facility in Malaysia to better serve the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific market.
This regional plant supplies Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, and it operates using the same Italian machinery, production technology, and expertise as the facilities in Europe.
According to the company, this ensures that product quality remains consistent regardless of where an item is manufactured.
The brand’s strongest export markets in Asia currently include China, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Demand in these countries continues to rise alongside the expansion of their café and dessert industries.
South Korea, meanwhile, represents one of the most competitive markets in the region.
Trends shift at remarkable speed, and consumers are known for their keen preference for strong, memorable flavors and high-quality ingredients.
Master Martini notes that in such an environment, cafés must balance product uniqueness with affordability, making both brand strategy and localization essential to long-term survival.
To help new and existing business owners succeed, the company provides technical specialists who assist with recipe development, product optimization, cost-effective ingredient choices, and training on the proper use of creams, chocolates, and spreads.
This kind of support is especially important for new entrepreneurs who may lack professional guidance when entering the food business.
Innovation, the company emphasizes, has been the cornerstone of its longevity.
Master Martini’s research and development teams continually create new ingredients, identify and fill operational gaps faced by café and bakery owners, and respond quickly to shifting trends in each regional market.
At the exhibition, the company presented items such as a watermelon soy beverage and Middle Eastern–inspired dessert panels—examples of how global and local influences merge in its product development process.
In Korea, where customer expectations are particularly high, the company relies heavily on its Malaysian production base to maintain cost competitiveness without compromising quality.
Producing regionally lowers raw-material and logistics expenses, but the products still follow Italian manufacturing standards because they are produced with the same technology, machinery, and methods used in Europe.
Master Martini remains focused on B2B distribution rather than consumer e-commerce channels like Amazon or Coupang.
The company works with professional distributors who manage bulk orders, cold-chain logistics, large-volume supply, and technical customer service.
Timely delivery and proper handling are identified as fundamental requirements in the B2B food sector, and the company maintains strict standards in these areas.
Today, Master Martini operates through dedicated teams across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. The company generates more than €1 billion in annual revenue, and it continues to grow as demand increases across global café and dessert markets.
Across all regions, the company’s technical and commercial teams study local flavor preferences, market-specific dessert styles, and popular textures.
This allows Master Martini to tailor its offerings—whether producing a Korean-style cake cream, an American-style topping, or an Italian-inspired gelato base—while maintaining a consistent brand identity.
Master Martini’s continued success is rooted in its blend of Italian heritage, global expansion, and commitment to innovation and localization.
With strong operational foundations and an agile approach to market trends, the company is positioned to remain a leading player in the global bakery, pastry, and café industry for many years to come.
