Ferrero SpA

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox company Ferrero International SpA (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, Template:IPA), more commonly known as Ferrero Group or simply Ferrero, is an Italian multinational company with headquarters in Alba. Ferrero is a manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products, and the second biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ferrero SpA is a private company owned by the Ferrero family and has been described as "one of the world's most secretive firms".<ref name="Guardian 2010" />

It was founded in 1946 in Alba in Piedmont, Italy, by Pietro Ferrero, a confectioner and small-time pastry maker who laid the groundwork for the introduction of Nutella. The company had a period of tremendous growth and success under Pietro's son Michele Ferrero, who in turn handed over the daily operations to his sons, Pietro Jr. and Giovanni Ferrero (the founder's grandsons). In 2015, following Pietro Jr.'s sudden death in 2011, Giovanni Ferrero became the company's sole leader as executive chairman and majority owner.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Ferrero Group worldwide includes 38 trading companies, 18 factories, and approximately 40,000 employees, and produces around 365,000 tonnes of Nutella each year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Pietro Ferrero, founder

In 1946, Pietro Ferrero, an Italian pastry chef invented a cream of hazelnuts and cocoa, a secret recipe that used nuts to cut down on the more expensive cocoa in a spread derived from gianduja (a typical Turin product), calling it Pasta Gianduja.<ref name=":1" /> The initial product came in solid loaves wrapped in aluminium foil, which had to be sliced with a knife, and was succeeded by a spreadable version called Supercrema.<ref name="bbc">Template:Cite web</ref>

With assistance from his brother Giovanni Ferrero Sr., Pietro Ferrero created his new company to produce and market the initial product.<ref name="ferrero history">Template:Cite web</ref> Pietro was succeeded by his son Michele Ferrero as chief executive. Michele and his wife Maria Franca relaunched his father's recipe as Nutella, which was first sold in 1964. They opened production sites and offices abroad,<ref name="ferrero history" /> and Nutella eventually became<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the world's leading chocolate-nut spread brand.<ref name="bbc" /> Ferrero is the world's largest consumer of hazelnuts, buying up 25% of global production in 2014.<ref name="bbc" />

Michele Ferrero later passed the reins of daily management to his own sons, Pietro Jr. and Giovanni Ferrero, grandsons to the founder. But in 2011, Pietro Jr. died at the age of 47 after suffering a heart attack while cycling in South Africa.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2015, Giovanni Ferrero, grandson of Pietro and son of Michele Ferrero, took the reins as executive chairman and majority owner.<ref name="ferrero history" /><ref name=":0" /> In September 2017, Lapo Civiletti, a longtime executive at the company, became the first non-family CEO in the history of the company. Giovanni Ferrero instead became the executive chairman, focusing on long-term strategy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of July 9, 2024, Giovanni Ferrero was named the wealthiest person in Italy with a net worth of $43.3 billion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The company places great emphasis on secrecy, reportedly to guard against industrial espionage.<ref name="Guardian 2010">Template:Cite news</ref> It has never held a press conference and does not allow media visits to its plants. Ferrero's products are made with machines designed by an in-house engineering department.<ref name="Guardian 2010" />

Acquisitions

• In 2014, Ferrero acquired Oltan Group, the largest hazelnut supplier in the world.<ref name="Nieberg14">Template:Cite news</ref>
• In June 2015, Ferrero acquired the British chocolate retailer Thorntons for £112 million.<ref name="Vaish15" /><ref name="Guardian2015" />
• In 2016, Ferrero SpA acquired Belgian biscuit brands Delacre and DeliChoc from United Biscuits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In March 2017, Ferrero SpA bought the US chocolate maker Fannie May from 1-800-Flowers.com. The deal closed on 30 May 2017, and Ferrero paid $115 million. Ferrero indicated that they hope to expand Fannie May, with locations across the US, not just in Chicago.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In October 2017, Ferrero announced that they would acquire the Ferrara Candy Company<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the acquisition was completed that December.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In January 2018, it was reported that Ferrero was purchasing Nestlé's American confectionery business for $2.8 billion. The deal included the Baby Ruth, Crunch Bar and Butterfinger brands, but did not affect Nestlé's confectionery business elsewhere, and did not include Kit Kat, Nesquik or the Toll House baking line.<ref>Zlati Meyer,"Nestle is selling its U.S. candy business to Ferrero for about $2.8 billion", USA TODAY 16 January 2018</ref> The acquisition was completed in March 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Consumer market strategist Lawrence Allen characterized the merger as Nestlé moving to being a health company, and as Ferrero acquiring a manufacturing base in the US and expanding their US product range.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• In July 2019,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ferrero further expanded its US operations by purchasing a collection of business owned by Kellogg's. Included in the deal were Kellogg's cookie, fruit and fruit-flavoured snack, ice cream cone and pie crust businesses, the renowned brands Famous Amos, Murray's, Keebler, Mother's, and Little Brownie Bakers (one of the producers of the cookies for the Girl Scouts of the USA), as well as a leased manufacturing facility in Baltimore, six food manufacturing facilities across the country, and two plants in Chicago. Ferrero paid Kellogg's $1.3 billion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In early 2020, a subsidiary of Ferrero purchased Campbell Soup Company's stake in the Danish bakery Kelsen Group for $300 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In October 2020, it was announced that Ferrero would buy UK company Fox's Biscuits for £250 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2020, Ferrero announced it was acquiring healthy snack company Eat Natural.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In June 2021, Ferrero bought British firm Burton's Biscuit Company, which at the time of purchase employed 2,000 people at six plants in the UK. It is believed the transaction was made for about £360 million.<ref>Ferrero family buys Jammie Dodgers maker Burton’s at The Guardian,</ref>
• In April 2022, it was announced Ferrero had acquired the vitamin and protein bar producer Fulfil Nutrition headquartered in Dublin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In December 2022, the company announced its acquisition of Wells Enterprises, an American ice cream manufacturer based in LeMars, Iowa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wells Enterprises is best known for Blue Bunny, Blue Ribbon, Bomb Pop, and Halo Top brands.
• In February 2023, it was announced Ferrero would acquire the frozen bakery company Fresystem SPA based in Naples, Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In July 2025, it was announced that Ferrero would be buying cereal giant WK Kellogg Co in an approximately $3 billion deal; WK Kellogg itself was the result of a spinoff of the North American cereal business of Kellogg Company, which retained its international cereals, meals, and snacks business as Kellanova (which is being acquired by Mars Inc. for just under $36 billion).<ref> https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/ferrero-nears-roughly-3-billion-deal-for-maker-of-froot-loops-frosted-flakes-c61a10a2?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAgFdkpdPf98IDTgIBInxFR_Pgie-L7WMPimfsnFVzm7UAnKfxDIwkhJUhLX6pg%3D&gaa_ts=686ed471&gaa_sig=N7Uuq34bpXODJ8LzM0tdY1xt7R6mpMQm2hkYrekxCjjs1KQZmzp5njTJxhtj8Om4aSs_VIC_Nd0-SMdLN73RKA%3D%3D </ref>

2022 salmonella outbreak

On 6 April 2022, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) began investigating a "rapidly evolving" outbreak of salmonella linked to Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The outbreak affected European countries, with products being recalled "as a precautionary step".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Products were also recalled in Canada and the US.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 April, Belgian authorities ordered the closure of a Kinder chocolate factory in Arlon suspected to be behind the outbreak.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 12 April, the EFSA and the ECDC published a rapid outbreak assessment on a multi-country outbreak of monophasic salmonella typhimurium linked to chocolate products made at the Belgian factory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The report found that in December 2021, salmonella was detected in a buttermilk tank at the Belgian establishment during the manufacturer's own checks, and the chocolate products were distributed across Europe and globally.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 8 April 2022, 150 cases had been reported in ten European countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Products

Template:Multiple image Ferrero produces several lines of confectionery goods under various brand names, as well as the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella (since 1964).<ref name=Merelli15>Template:Cite news</ref> Ferrero uses one-quarter of the world's annual hazelnut supply.<ref name=Charles14>Template:Cite news</ref>

It also produces the line of Ferrero branded chocolate products, including Pocket Coffee,<ref name=Montano15>Template:Cite news</ref> Mon Chéri,<ref name=Montano15/> Confetteria Raffaello,<ref name=Montano15 /> Ferrero Küsschen<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Ferrero Prestige line, which comprises three different brands of pralines: Ferrero Rocher, Ferrero Rondnoir, and Garden Coco.<ref name=ProfCandy07>Template:Cite news</ref>

Ferrero's Kinder brand line of chocolate products includes Kinder Surprise,<ref name=Winnipeg11>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Joy,<ref name=Shashidhar14>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Chocolate,<ref name=Precision03>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Happy Hippo,<ref name=Marketing07>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Maxi,<ref name=Precision03/> Kinder Duplo,<ref name=DuploLSA>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Country,<ref name=CosmoFrance>Template:Cite news</ref> Kinder Délice,<ref name=DeliceLSA>Template:Cite news</ref> and Kinder Bueno.<ref name=MW02>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=White04>Template:Cite news</ref> The company also produces Tic Tac mints,<ref name="Shashidhar14" /> available in a variety of flavours,<ref name="Somerset15">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PCB03">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PCB01">Template:Cite news</ref> along with sugar free versions.<ref name="Detroit09">Template:Cite news</ref> Other Ferrero products include Giotto,<ref name="Montano15" /> Fiesta Ferrero,<ref name="Euro10">Template:Cite news</ref> Hanuta chocolate hazelnut-filled wafers,<ref name="Roder14">Template:Cite news</ref> and Gran Soleil frozen desserts,<ref name="India14">Template:Cite news</ref> which won the company an innovation award in March 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ferrero has been producing Thorntons products since acquiring the company in 2015.<ref name="Vaish15">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Guardian2015">Template:Cite news</ref>

Philanthropy

In 1983, the company established the Ferrero Foundation in Alba, Piedmont at the wish of Michele Ferrero. The foundation promotes activities in the areas of art, science, history and literature by organizing conventions, conferences, seminars and exhibitions. It also offers health and social assistance to ex-employees who have been with the group for at least 25 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of confectionery brands

External links

• Template:Official website