Pietro Ferrero, born in 1898, returned from the First World War in 1923 and opened a pastry shop in Dogliani, northwestern Italy. By 1938, he attempted to sell biscuits in East Africa to Italian troops but returned to Italy when the plan failed.
The experiment with hazelnut
After settling in Alba, Pietro experimented with a chocolate-hazelnut paste using local hazelnuts, molasses, and a small amount of cocoa. He created Giandujot, a loaf-like sweet that became popular among children and families.
On May 14, 1946, the Ferrero Company was officially founded. Pietro partnered with his brother Giovanni to expand production. Unfortunately, Pietro died of a heart attack in 1949.
The next generation
In 1951, Pietro’s 26-year-old son Michele Ferrero transformed Giandujot into a spreadable version named SuperCrema, using vegetable oil to stretch the limited cocoa. It was sold in reusable jars and pots.
The company used sales representatives instead of wholesalers to keep distribution costs low. In 1957, Giovanni also died of a heart attack, leaving Michele in charge during a time of rapid growth and expansion.
Chocolates at missile factories
Michele expanded Ferrero into Germany, repurposing former Nazi missile factories into candy production plants. The first product launched there wasn’t SuperCrema but Mon Chéri, a cherry liqueur-filled chocolate.
In the 1960s, with Italy recovering from postwar hardship, Michele added more cocoa to the spread. Due to new advertising laws, SuperCrema was rebranded in 1964 as “Nutella”, highlighting its hazelnut content.
By 1982, Nutella became the key ingredient in Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Today, over 365 million kilos of Nutella are consumed annually, and Ferrero uses more than 25% of the world’s hazelnuts.
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