italy type societ per azioni joint stock company privately held industry food founded 1946 ; 70 years ago 1946 founder pietro ferrero headquarters alba piedmont italy key people giovanni ferrero acting chairman ceo products confectionery brands ferrero rocher nutella raffaello tic tac kinder surprise kinder chocolate kinder bueno ferrero k sschen mon ch ri kinder joy revenue 9.54 billion fiscal year 2015 operating income 889 million fy 2014 2015 number of employees 33 219 fy 2014 2015 parent ferrero family website www.ferrero.com ferrero spa italian pronunciation fer r ro is an italian manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products and it is the third biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company in the world . 1 it was founded in 1946 in alba piedmont italy by pietro ferrero a confectioner and small time pastry maker who laid the groundwork for the nutella and famously added hazelnut to save money on chocolate . 2 the company saw a period of tremendous growth and success under pietro s son michele ferrero who in turn handed over the daily operations to his sons . his son pietro the founder s grandson who oversaw global business died on april 18 2011 in a cycling accident in south africa at the age of 47 . reputation institute s 2009 survey ranks ferrero as the most reputable company in the world . 3 ferrero spa is a private company owned by the ferrero family and has been described as one of the world s most secretive firms . 4 the ferrero group worldwide now headed by ceo giovanni ferrero includes 38 trading companies 18 factories approximately 21 500 employees and produces around 365 000 tonnes 5 of nutella each year . ferrero international sa s headquarters is in luxembourg . its german factory is the largest of all and pasquale giorgio is its current ceo . contents 1 history 2 products 3 philanthrophy 4 references 5 external links history edit in 1946 pietro ferrero invented a cream of hazelnuts and cocoa derived from gianduja and called it giandujot or pasta gianduja . 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 supercrema . 6 with assistance from his brother giovanni ferrero pietro ferrero created his new company to produce and market the initial product . 7 following his work 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 . after world war ii they opened production sites and offices abroad 7 and nutella eventually became the world s leading chocolate nut spread brand . 6 ferrero is the world s largest consumer of hazelnuts buying up 25 % of global production in 2014 . 6 the company is currently run by giovanni ferrero grandson of pietro and son to michele ferrero . 7 the company places great emphasis on secrecy reportedly to guard against industrial espionage . 4 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 . 4 products edit ferrero rocher jar of nutella mon cheri cherry cordial candy ferrero produces several lines of confectionery goods under various brand names as well as the chocolate hazelnut spread nutella . the company has produced nutella since 1964 . 8 the production of nutella uses one quarter of the world s annual hazelnut supply . 9 in 2014 ferrero acquired oltan group the largest hazelnut supplier in the world . 10 it also produces the line of ferrero branded chocolate products including pocket coffee 11 mon ch ri 11 ferrero k sschen 11 confetteria raffaello 11 and the ferrero prestige line which comprises three different brands of pralines ferrero rocher ferrero rondnoir and garden coco . 12 ferrero s kinder brand line of chocolate products include kinder surprise 13 kinder joy 14 kinder chocolate 15 kinder happy hippo 16 kinder maxi 15 kinder duplo 17 kinder country 18 kinder d lice 19 and kinder bueno . 20 21 ferrero has been producing thorntons products since the company acquired the british chocolate retailer in june 2015 for 112 million . 22 23 the company also produces tic tac candy 14 available in mint 24 cinnamon and fruit flavors 25 26 along with sugar free versions . 27 other ferrero products include giotto 11 fiesta ferrero 28 hanuta chocolate hazelnut filled wafers 29 and gran soleil frozen desserts 30 which won the company an innovation award in march 2011 . 31 philanthrophy edit in 1983 the ferrero foundation was established 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 of the group for at least 25 years . 32 references edit ilan brat ; jeffrey mccracken ; dana cimilluca november 9 2009 . hershey plots cadbury bid . the wall street journal . ferrero is known for the secrecy with which it guards its chocolate recipes and its management decisions . italy s richest man michele ferrero dies after illness . dw.com . 14 february 2015 . retrieved 16 january 2016 . klaus kneale may 6 2009 . world s most reputable companies the rankings . forbes . a b c hooper john 2 july 2010 . italy s meltdown over eu nutella ban that never was . the guardian . retrieved 3 july 2010 . michele ferrero nutella owner and italy s richest man dies aged 89 . afp.com . 15 february 2015 . archived from the original on 16 january 2016 . retrieved 16 january 2016 . a b c mitzman dany 18 may 2014 . nutella how the world went nuts for a hazelnut spread . bbc news . retrieved 16 january 2016 . a b c ferrero a family history . ferrero . retrieved 16 january 2016 . annalisa merelli 15 february 2015 . goodbye to michele ferrero the man who gave us nutella . quartz . retrieved 10 december 2015 . dan charles 16 september 2014 . thanks to nutella the world needs more hazelnuts . npr . retrieved 11 december 2015 . oliver nieberg 17 july 2014 . ferrero acquires hazelnut supplier oltan . confectionary news . retrieved 11 december 2015 . a b c d e nick montano 3 march 2015 . michele ferrero world s richest candyman and creator of nutella dies at 89 . vending times . retrieved 10 december 2015 . christmas profit preview ring in holiday profits by stocking a range of new items and traditional favorites part 2 . professional candy buyer . 1 may 2007 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . ferrero also introduces prestige assortment a selection of rocher rondnoir and garden coco . america s choke hold on kinder surprise . winnipeg free press . 29 january 2011 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . it s a newly arrived clutch of kinder surprise milk chocolate eggs each one with a tiny toy or puzzle or doll hidden at its core inside a little yellow plastic cask . a b ajita shashidhar 30 march 2014 . unwrapped ; how italian confectionery giant ferrero created a market for premium chocolate in india . business today . retrieved 10 december 2015 . the company rolled out rocher chocolates nationwide in 2007 and followed this up with kinder joy an egg shaped chocolate which comes with a toy for children and tic tac in 2009 . a b ferrero unveils push for kinder chocolate bar . precision marketing . 14 february 2003 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . ferrero is embarking on a major data capture campaign to launch its latest import kinder chocolate by launching a valentine s day themed initiative . the mini chocolate bars aimed at six to 11 year olds and their mothers are the most recent product to hit the market following the best selling kinder bueno and the slightly larger kinder maxi . ferrero uk is launching happy hippo cocoa cream . marketing week . 6 april 2006 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . kinder happy hippo was originally launched in the uk at the start of 2004 mw december 11 2003 and the new variant was launched in february . ferrero duplo whole hazelnuts . lsa commerce & consommation in french . retrieved 10 december 2015 . aurelie corbin 20 november 2015 . 7 recettes pour des barres chocolat es maison . cosmopolitan france in french . retrieved 10 december 2015 . kinder delice . lsa commerce & consommation in french . retrieved 10 december 2015 . ferrero s kinder bueno . marketing week . 4 april 2002 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . wcrs has created a pounds sterling 2.3 m tv campaign for ferrero s kinder bueno brand . lyn white 6 april 2004 . italy s favourite heads down under . australasian business intelligence . retrieved 10 december 2015 . kinder bueno was launched in italy in 1990 and is now sold in more than 20 countries . esha vaish and giancarlo navach london 23 june 2015 . ferrero agrees to acquire uk s thorntons . the star . retrieved 10 december 2015 . the italian firm behind ferrero rocher chocolates and nutella spread has agreed to buy british chocolate retailer thorntons for 112 million r2 .1 billion striking a rare deal to expand in europe s biggest confectionery market . farrell sean 22 june 2015 . thorntons bought by ferrero for 112m . the guardian . retrieved 22 june 2015 . ferrero rolls out new flavor for tic tac mints brand . mass market retailers . 23 march 2015 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . spearmint mix tictac mints is joining the tictac brand s portfolio of mint flavors which includes freshmints powermint and wintergreen tic tac mints . ferrero upsizes tic tac mints . professional candy buyer . 1 november 2003 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . the packaging for tic tac mints which come in fresh mint orange spearmint cinnamon wintergreen and lime will remain the same . mints paying the price of success ; with hundreds of new items entering the mint market in recent years could market saturation be far behind . professional candy buyer . 1 november 2001 . retrieved 10 december 2015 . in its 30th year in the marketplace tic tac is available in fresh mint orange cinnamon wintergreen and spearmint varieties . taste test chill with tic tac s new sugar free mints . detroit free press . 14 january 2009 . retrieved 11 december 2015 . registration required help . and tic tac r chill mints are the first in the tic tac r product portfolio to be entirely sugar free sweetened with xylitol . baked goods in italy . euromonitor international . 1 september 2010 . retrieved 11 december 2015 . registration required help . brioss ferrero group fiesta ferrero group kinder d lice ferrero group christian roder 5 february 2014 . criticism of nutella candy with addictive . westdeutsche zeitung in german . retrieved 11 december 2015 . soremartec sa receives approval for trademark ferrero gran soleil . indian trademark news . 3 february 2014 . soremartec sa of arlon belgium received approval from office of the trade marks registry on the trademark ferrero gran soleil . access date requires url help ferrero gran soleil receives the excellence in innovation award . ferrero . retrieved 2012 03 21 . ferrero social responsibility social activities the ferrero foundation . ferrero . retrieved 16 january 2016 . external links edit italy portal companies portal wikimedia commons has media related to ferrero . ferrero group official website ferrero uk & ireland ferrero u.s.a. ferrero canada ferrero