Bridging Cultures Through Pizza: A Cross-Continental Collaboration Between SIAL Shanghai and Tuttopizza
In this exclusive interview, Raffaele Biglietto, Director & Co-creator of Tuttopizza and Martin Du, Operations Director, SIAL Shanghai shares insights on cultural exchange, economic opportunity, and the ambitious goal of making authentic Neapolitan pizza a household name in China.
Can you explain the aim behind holding SIAL Shanghai and Tuttopizza simultaneously this year?
Martin Du: As we all know, SIAL is a globally well-known brand of food and beverage exhibitions. Since its entry into China in 2000, it has been held in Shanghai for 25 years. Over these 25 years, it has accumulated abundant industry resources and a more than a million of professional buyers, including Offline retailers, importesr/exporters, supermarkets, online retailers, catering and hotels, and E-commerce platforms etc. It serves as an important platform for international food enterprises to enter the Chinese market.
Tutto Pizza, as a well-known pizza exhibition brand in Italy and around the world, this joint effort with SIAL Shanghai is not just a cooperation between two brands, but also a tangible practice of the “Dialogue of Global Food Civilizations”. There are three profound meanings behind it – mutual learning of cultures, common prosperity of industries, and upgrading of consumption.
By holding the Tutto Pizza exhibition concurrently with SIAL Shanghai, it can leverage the influence and platform advantages of SIAL Shanghai to quickly and accurately reach Chinese distributors, retailers, and a vast number of consumers-Pizza lovers, effectively shortening the market development cycle. This is not only helpful for Tutto Pizza to establish its brand image and enhance its brand awareness in the Chinese market, but also can open up sales channels for its products in the Chinese market, achieving rapid business growth.
At the same time, SIAL Shanghai can also enrich the exhibit content by introducing representative international professional brand exhibitions like Tutto Pizza. It can continuously enhance the international level of the SIAL Shanghai, attract the attention of more professional visitors and industry insiders, and further consolidate its leading position in the food and beverage industry exhibitions, globally.
Raffaele Biglietto: In May 2025 the world of pizza will be the protagonist simultaneously in Europe and Asia, thanks to the partnership developed between Squisito Eventi, Sial Network, Universal Marketing and the Regione Campania.
In Naples, recognized by many as the world capital of pizza, during the Tuttopizza fair the traditional trade fair event, now in its eighth edition, will take place for operators in the pizzeria and restaurant sector, while in China, on the same days, during the SIAL Shanghai, ample space will be given to pizza in a special exhibition area called Tuttopizza International, connected to the exhibition pavilion of Italian companies, where master classes, show cooking and demonstrations by Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli Association, already present in China with its own delegation. The objective is to promote and enhance the art of the Neapolitan pizza chef, recognized as an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO and typical Italian products not only in Italy but also in the circuit of the important SIAL Network fairs.
How will the Tuttopizza village at SIAL Shanghai help support these goals? Can you share some of the highlights planned for this space at the show?
MD: In recent years, the pizza market in China has been developing rapidly. However, there is still a certain gap in aspects such as product quality and production techniques compared with the international advanced level. Tutto Pizza brings world-class pizza-making concepts, high-quality ingredients, and exquisite craftsmanship.
We will fully cooperate to ensure the presentation of Tutto Pizza Village at SIAL China (Shanghai). We are committed to making sure that this debut will offer a rare pizza feast for the buyers and pizza lovers on-site. They will be able to taste authentic Neapolitan pizzas from Italy at the exhibition and savor their unique flavors and textures. Such a direct experience will enable consumers to better understand the culinary characteristics of different countries, broaden their horizons in food, and enrich their taste bud experiences.
During the 3- exhibition-days, we will cooperate with Tutto Pizza to organize pizza-related interactive activities and explanations of food culture. We will also prepare an artistic pizza food gallery, allowing the on-site visitors, buyers, pizza-lovers to have an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the pizza-making process and its cultural background, adding fun and knowledge to the consumption experience.
Meanwhile, during this year’s SIAL Shanghai, we will release a special white paper on pizza, namely “The White Paper on the New Potential of Pizza in 2025”, laying the foundation and providing guidance for the accelerated growth of the Chinese pizza market.
What sets the Chinese pizza market apart on the international stage?
MD: According to the data of the survey, the scale of the pizza market in China was 37.5 billion RMB/Yuan in 2022, and it is expected to increase to 77.1 billion RMB/Yuan by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.5% over five years. At the same time, the number of pizza consumers in China is also growing year by year.
However, the penetration rate of the pizza market in China is still relatively low. There are only 9.8 pizza restaurants per million people. Compared with Japan and South Korea, the penetration rate is only one-third of theirs, indicating broad room for future development. Moreover, the pizza market in China’s second-tier, third-tier, and lower-tier cities has a high compound annual growth rate of 10%, and there are huge potential opportunities in the sinking market.
China has a large young consumer group. The younger generation of consumers has an increasing acceptance of Western cuisine. As a Western fast food, pizza is deeply loved by young consumers, providing a stable consumer base for the market. In addition, China’s food delivery industry is developing rapidly. Food delivery platforms such as Meituan and Ele.me have been recognized by a large number of users, and the pizza delivery business has shown strong growth. In 2022, the online market share of the pizza industry exceeded the offline share for the first time, accounting for 58.1%.
It is worth noting that thanks to the development of China’s economy, infrastructure such as transportation, logistics, and cold chain has been continuously improved. This is conducive to the transportation and distribution of pizza raw materials, reducing the operating costs of enterprises and improving operational efficiency.
How is Tuttopizza working to communicate the unique and authentic nature of Campania’s agri-food products on the world stage?
RB: Tuttopizza will give space and visibility to the agro-food product companies of the Campania region in a large exhibition area divided into corners of typical products and a laboratory to carry out demonstrations and tastings during the days of the event. The products that will be the protagonists of this exhibition area will be: wines, oils, cheeses, cured meats, preserved foods and local specialties. The program of initiatives organized in collaboration with the Campania Region is completed by talks, refresher conferences and a themed evening.
How can Campania companies and producers appeal to a Chinese audience?
RB: Italian cuisine has always been one of the best known cuisines in the world, together with French and Chinese cuisine. The culinary tradition of Campania finds ample space thanks to its history and the many regional food and wine products. Tomato preserves with all the biodiversity present in the region, buffalo mozzarella from Campania, fiordilatte with its characteristic processing, buffalo and cow’s milk ricotta, the many products from the Campania vegetable gardens appropriately processed, such as artichokes or broccoli, accompany what UNESCO preserves as the art of the Neapolitan pizza chef.
MD: Both Italy and China are ancient civilizations with splendid cultures, and the food culture is an important part of the cultures of the two countries. Italian cuisine is already quite famous in China. SIAL Shanghai is being held concurrently with Tutto Pizza, using pizza as a medium, the people of the two countries can establish closer connections through food. This is helpful for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as culture and economy.
We hope to see pizza enterprises from Campania provide strong Italian atmosphere by designing and building Italian-style booths, incorporating elements of Naples, playing Italian music, and creating exquisite brochures and videos to tell the history and inheritance of pizza, making Chinese buyers and pizza-lovers feel as if they are in an Italian pizza store. At the same time, a transparent display kitchen can be set up so that buyers and pizza-lovers can see the pizza-making process. Using artistic display methods, pizzas can be arranged in various shapes to attract the attention of the buyers.
It is essential to set up a tasting area at the booth. While providing free pizza tasting for buyers and pizza-lovers, arrange staff to explain different flavors of pizza beside them, introduce the characteristics and production techniques of each pizza, and guide consumers to better understand the products. Of course, it would be even better if there is a pizza DIY teaching experience on-site.
We suggest that Campania pizza enterprises can actively collect the contact information of buyers and consumers during the exhibition, such as WeChat official account follows, mobile phone numbers, etc., so as to carry out follow-up and communication after the exhibition. Send them brand information, product discount information, etc. regularly, maintain contact with them, and establish long-term cooperative relationships and brand loyalty.
At the same time, the marketing team of SIAL Shanghai will, before the exhibition, release information and product previews of Tutto Pizza through Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin(Tiktok) to attract the attention of potential buyers and pizza-lovers. During the exhibition, the live streaming platform of SIAL Shanghai will share the wonderful moments at the pizza booth, new product releases, and other content in real-time, triggering topic discussions and expanding the brand influence of Tutto Pizza. We also plan to invite some food bloggers and Internet celebrities to visit and experience the booth and ask them to share and recommend it on social medias to increase brand awareness.
In addition, we encourage pizza enterprises from Campania to participate in the activities and summits during the SIAL Shanghai, introduce the brand concept of Tutto Pizza, the advantages of Campania pizza products, and the development plan for the Chinese market at the activities, showcase the professional image and strength of the brand, establish connections with Chinese buyers and industry insiders, and expand cooperation opportunities.
How important is the Chinese market for Campania’s agri-food sector?
RB: China is a market of fundamental importance for Italian agri-food and for typical products of Campania. In recent years, the demand for Italian agri-food products in China has increased thanks to several factors, including the growth of the middle class, interest in western cuisine and the reputation of “Made in Italy” even more so today that protectionist barriers are looming on other international markets
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