Iconic hazelnut chocolate spread Nutella celebrates 50th birthday
NUTELLA, the chocolate and hazelnut spread that made its Italian inventors into one of the country’s richest families, will today turn 50, with events planned across the world to celebrate the iconic brand.
Mika played a special concert in Naples’ Piazza Plebiscito last night to wish “buon compleanno” to Nutella, while the company has teamed up with chef Dominique Ansel – the creator of the infamous cronut – to create a Nutella-filled cronut hole especially for today’s birthday party.
The Italian postal service has even launched a commemorative stamp to mark the occasion, featuring an image of a jar of Nutella against a gold background.
The original recipe for what was first labelled Supercrema was developed by a confectioner from Alba, Pietro Ferrero, who blended the region’s hazelnuts with a small amount of cocoa – then an expensive, luxury item – to create a spreadable paste.
The name Nutella wasn’t invented until 1964, when Pietro’s son revamped the brand and repackaged it into glass jars.
Ferrero, the family company that also makes Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Kinder confectionary and Tic Tac breath mints, made revenues last year of €8.1bn (£6.6bn), and profits before tax of €795m. The business is now run by Pietro’s grandson, Giovanni Ferrero.