MANILA -- Since it opened its first branch at Rockwell's Power Plant Mall, La Lola Churreria has made its mark on the local dessert landscape. From kids to the titas of Manila, the distinctive red and green cones containing La Lola's churros and xuxos with a side of deep dark chocolate dip soon became a common sight around the city.

Now, the MFT Group and Bistronomia, the group behind La Lola Churreria, are taking this Filipino concept abroad.

The MFT Group is responsible for bringing this churro specialist out of the Philippines. With a portfolio in financial services, asset management, stock brokerage, healthcare, and property management, this private equity group is venturing into the food and beverage space. Besides La Lola, it successfully brought Singaporean concept Salad Stop to Barcelona in Spain with plans to expand to Madrid in the near future. In Asia, the MFT Group is opening Salad Stop branches in Vietnam soon.

Chiqui Tan, the current chief marketing officer of the MFT Group, has been watching La Lola with keen interest even when she was still working with the SM Group.

“We’ve been fans of the brand ever since they started. We thought it was genius that something so simple can be done so well. I saw the speed and the scale they grew the brand. La Lola churros are so global in flavor that it can be brought anywhere and will have a strong chance of succeeding,” she said.

Tan said they chose Singapore because of its dessert-driven palette and openness to new concepts. La Lola’s first branch in the Lion City will be at Clarke Quay Central right beside busy MRT and bus stations.

The MFT Group isn’t stopping here as it is on the lookout for other brands to add to its portfolio.

Tan offers a tip for those who may want to collaborate with the MFT Group.

“When you look at Salad Stop and La Lola, they have something in common. They are single-product businesses and not chef-driven. They are very easy to scale. They have one product, they do it very well, and they can control the quality wherever they take it. They can be very focused. The proposition is very strong,” explained Tan.

Here are some of the menu items that La Lola will be bringing to Singapore:

Mixing Yakult in Lemon Iced Tea is thirst-quenching and healthy at the same time. It might seem like a weird combination, but it works. David Gray, Reuters

Pork floss is a favorite ingredient in Singapore and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. La Lola tops this on its garlic aioli-filled xuxos. Jeeves de Veyra

Finally, La Lola is introducing a matcha dip and a cream cheese dip for its churros. A kaya, coconut egg jam, dip is also in the works. Jeeves de Veyra