There was a problem at the origin of that jar which became a symbol of Italianness. After the Second World War, cocoa was very difficult to find. And Michele Ferrero, from a small village in Piedmont full of hazelnut trees (Alba), tried to experiment with a soft, spreadable paste, which used the abundant and economical hazelnuts instead of cocoa. It was there on April 20, 1964 and that intuition would forever change the habits of Italians and millions of people around the world.
A hazelnut and chocolate cream that in half a century has gone from occupying a simple shelf in large-scale retail trade to being a full-fledged product category.
Nutella has thus become an iconic dessert: of Made in Italy, of Italianness, of its roots in the territory given that the company which today is a colossus worth 14 billion euros (with a leap of 10.4% in the latest financial statement ) never abandoned little Alba. But not only. In recent years, a product that alone would make a medium-large company has seen the launch ofNutella&GO! (2005), Nutella B-ready (2015), Nutella Biscuits (2019) at the center of a real marketing phenomenon, Nutella Muffins (2020) and Nutella Croissants last year.
The leap from a small artisan company to a real giant was finally made by Giovanni Ferrero, grandson of the founder and the richest man in Italy with a fortune of 39 billion dollars, who introduced increasingly innovative marketing and products and a welfare company among the most advanced (considerable production bonuses, free doctor and a Foundation where you can spend your retirement with activities ranging from art to DIY).
Today Ferrero employs 4,000 workers and produces half a billion tons of products a year, destined for 170 countries.