Cova, a brand famed for its mango dome cake, Italian gastronomy and premium chocolates, has just celebrated its 30th anniversary in Hong Kong. While three decades may not seem that long given the Italian company’s 200-year history, it is considered an achievement in Hong Kong. When Cova first opened in the city, the dining scene was quite different to today.
“When we opened in Hong Kong, people only thought of French cuisine when it came to fine dining,” recalls Cova’s chief executive, Paola Faccioli. “People also preferred to drink tea rather than coffee.” Established in 1817 by one of Napoleon’s generals, Antonio Cova, Cova is a heritage brand with roots in Milan, Italy.
It began its global expansion in 1993 with its first international outlet in Hong Kong. In 2013, Cova became part of the LVMH group, which solidified its luxury dining status. This acquisition enabled Cova to extend its refined approach to Italian culinary traditions in major cities in Asia such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.
Maxim’s group acquired the franchise rights for Hong Kong and Macau in 2016. One of the most successful of Cova’s adaptations for the Hong Kong market remains the aforementioned mango dome cake. “We looked at the ingredients available in the city and mango is such an abundant and popular fruit.
We adapted our dome cake recipe for mango and it was very well received,” Faccioli says. “We also started selling the dome cake in mango flavour in Milan; that also does.
