Nutella: The surprising story behind the iconic cocoa spread
In 1964, the first jar of Nutella in history was sold in a small pastry shop in the Piedmont region. A milestone achieved by Pietro Ferrero after he had managed to refine a simple recipe to feed the population of the 1950s, devastated after World War II.
In the midst of this dystopian scenario, where cocoa was extremely scarce, Ferrero solved the problem by creating a sweet paste made with hazelnuts, sugar, and cocoa. This is how the precursor to Nutella, as we know it, was born. Adding hazelnuts, a cheaper and more readily available ingredient, made the spread much more affordable for the people.
The first recipe for the 'cream' dates back to 1946, christened 'Giandujot', presented as a sweet paste molded with hazelnuts and chocolate that could be sliced and spread on bread. It was named after a mythical character from the local carnival.
In 1951, that dough evolved into the 'SQUISITA SUPERCREMA', refined by the son of pastry chef Michele Ferrero, who transformed it into a new creamy, easy-to-spread product known as Nutella.
In 1964, the 'modern' Nutella was finally born with an improved recipe of hazelnut and cocoa cream, which, a year later, would be encapsulated in a jar designed and officially launched in Germany in 1965.
Fifty years later, the inventor of Nutella would become the richest person in Italy and the 30th richest in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Michele Ferrero would die the following year, leaving a great legacy for the world.
