Italian knitting machinery specialist Mandarin is marking a major milestone with the opening of its first headquarters in Portugal. The new space, named Quinta da Mandarin, is located in Barcelos - at the heart of Portugal’s textile industry - and will serve as a multifunctional hub for customers, partners, and industry professionals.

Established in 2011 in Conegliano, Italy, by founder and CEO Sante De Pecol, Mandarin has spent over a decade growing its presence in international knitwear manufacturing, after industrialising its initial concept in China’s Zhejiang province. The launch of its Portugal headquarters comes after eleven years of working closely with Portuguese clients and is a signal of its long-term commitment to the region.

“It’s not time that determines a company’s growth, but the quality of the people who compose it,” said the company in its announcement, reflecting on its journey and readiness to take root in Portugal’s dynamic textile market.

Quinta da Mandarin has been designed not only as a showroom for state-of-the-art machinery but also as a knitting school, R&D lab, and a customer support space. Clients are invited to use the site to test machines and create samples, even if they don’t own the specific equipment - free of charge.

To celebrate the opening, Mandarin will host an inauguration event from 19 to 21 June 2025, welcoming visitors daily from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. The event will showcase landmark sample pieces from international exhibitions, live demonstrations of the company’s programming system, and opportunities to meet the Iberian team behind this expansion.

The open invitation signals Mandarin’s aim to foster innovation and community within the Portuguese textile sector, while offering tangible support to those shaping its future.

Further reading

Mandarin measures up in Milan

www.mandarinkt.com