Pietro ferrero biography nutella

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The 1967 Carosello television ads in Italy became legendary. In 1965, Nutella launched in Germany with its now-iconic jar design. Cult-like customer loyalty.

  • Control the supply chain From ingredients to manufacturing to taste testing, Ferrero didn’t outsource its core competencies.
  • Build a myth, not just a product Whether it’s Nutella’s war-torn roots or Ferrero Rocher’s cathedral-like packaging, Ferrero sells stories.
  • Use acquisition to go global — but protect the brand Giovanni’s $6B gamble worked because he had the cash, the vision, and the courage to evolve.

    • The Next Decade of Ferrero

    The company is still private.

    But it’s playing on a global stage with global ambitions.

    And under Giovanni, it’s back to inventing: Ferrero’s launched its first chocolate bar and ice cream stick in 2021.

    The man who once had to smell his way out of a chocolate factory as a child… now runs a $36B empire built on sugar, hazelnuts, and generational obsession.

    👀 My POV

    Ferrero isn’t just a company — it’s a lesson in long-game thinking.

    • It bet on taste when others bet on trends.
    • It built loyalty before it scaled globally.
    • And it understood something every great brand eventually figures out:

    When people unwrap your product, they’re not just opening candy — they’re opening a memory, a feeling, a moment.

    And that… is very hard to copy.

    If you liked this story, I write deep dives like this every week on iconic companies and the psychology behind how they win.

    ICYMI: READ my other editions HERE.

    Remembering Pietro Ferrero: The Heart Behind Nutella

    Pietro Ferrero, the father of Nutella, has passed away at the age of 97.

    Under his guidance, the company expanded its product line to include other beloved treats like Kinder chocolate and Tic Tac mints. In 1964, he introduced Nutella in its current form, which quickly gained popularity.

    Pietro Ferrero’s son, Michele, played a significant role in the global expansion of Nutella. During World War II, the scarcity of cocoa due to supply chain disruptions prompted Ferrero to explore alternative ingredients.

    Each jar contains exactly 52 hazelnuts.

    Michele Ferrero became Italy’s richest man before his death in 2015, leaving behind a $26 billion fortune.

    The real breakthrough came in 1988 when Nutella sponsored the Italian national football team. An Italian-American blogger named Sara Rosso was so passionate about Nutella that she created World Nutella Day on February 5th.

    What started as a small celebration exploded across social media.

    pietro ferrero biography nutella

    Named after a beloved local carnival character, this chocolate-hazelnut mixture came in solid blocks wrapped in aluminum foil. He believed that businesses should contribute positively to the community while providing delicious products.

    Throughout his life, Pietro Ferrero remained humble about his achievements. They wisely reversed course and eventually took over the celebration in 2015.

    The brand embraced social media like few others.

    Hazelnuts grew abundantly in his region, while precious cocoa was scarce and expensive. Michele needed a new name for his spread.

    So Ferrero combined the English word “nut” with the Italian suffix “ella.”

    On April 20, 1964, the first jar of Nutella rolled off the production line in Alba. They made one big tweak:

    ➡️ They turned the brick into a spread.

    ➡️ Sold it in reusable jars.

    ➡️ Avoided wholesalers by deploying a direct sales force — keeping costs down.

    They called it Supercrema.

    But in 1964, the Italian government banned marketing superlatives.

    Michele had to rename the product.

    So he picked something… literal: Nut-ella.

    Under Michele’s leadership, the spread became a household name, enjoyed by millions around the world. The backlash was so intense that it made international news.

    Environmental concerns also emerged. That click? So Ferrero used the local hazelnuts of Alba to revive gianduja, turning it into a brick-shaped spread called Pasta Gianduja, sold in gold foil.

    It was meant for the working class.

    When Ferrero slightly increased the sugar content, fans noticed immediately. The countless people whose lives he touched with his creations will remember him fondly. In 1951, he revolutionized his father’s recipe, making it creamy and spreadable. They called it SuperCrema, and it flew off the shelves for over a decade.

    But then a new Italian law banned superlatives like “super” in brand names.