The story began in 1946 in Italy, right after the war, at the time candy and confections were in short supply. They were purchased mainly for special occasions at the local sweet shop. In northwestern Italy in the small town of Alba, master confectioner Pietro Ferrero would develop a system of mass produced true quality confections and offer them to consumers at reasonable prices. The philosophy of Pietro Ferrero was to use only the highest quality ingredients, be unique and never copy anyone else. He also believed in manufacturing with the most modern technology to streamline production cost. His first product was Pasta Gianduja, a chocolate hazelnut spread that he later renamed Nutella and would later become the number 1 selling sweet spread in the world. Since his first success story, Ferrero has introduced many of the most celebrated confectionery brands in the world.

Pietro and his brother Giovanni laid out the groundwork for the future success of the company. However, when they both died in the early 1950’s, it was Pietro’s son Michele Ferrero, who would continue the pursuit of their vision, as Ferrero expanded across Europe and the world. The company first moved beyond Italy in 1956, establishing offices and manufacturing in Germany. Later on in 1958, they would establish new facilities in France. From the late 60’s to the early 70’s, Michele Ferrero started a new phase of international expansion with sales offices and production facilities outside Europe. They first setup Ferrero USA and then Ferrero Canada, Ferrero Australia, Ferrero Ecuador, Ferrero Brazil, Ferrero Japan and Ferrero Puerto Rico. More recently, they opened offices in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

In 1969 Ferrero USA, first opened its doors in New York City. However it was not with Nutella or Ferrero Chocolates that they would see their greatest success, it was with a small wonder called Tic Tac. However, it would not take long for the rest of their line of chocolate and spreads to take off. Ferrero today remains a family run success story. With the third generation of Ferrero’s sons coming in to join their father, they continue to operate with the same principles that gave Ferrero its start in Alba 50 years ago. With global sales growing from country to country, Ferrero is today one of the largest confectionery companies in the world. The Ferrero family continues to delight the world with a steady line of products that include Ferrero Rocher Chocolate, Rafaello Coconut Candy, Nutella, Rondnoir, Tic Tac and more. Their products can be found in fine food stores the world over.