ietro Ferrero was just 25 when he and his wife Piera opened their first pastry shop in 1923, in Piedmont, Italy. Although well versed in pasticceria tradition, young Pietro was a natural innovator, often in his kitchen in the middle of the night trying out ingenious ideas to improve his latest creations.
That curiosity helped Pietro develop a mouthwatering mix of cocoa, hazelnut oil, coconut butter and molasses that he called Giandujot – inspired by gianduja, a traditional hazelnut paste from Turin. Demand soon outstripped his tiny bakery, allowing Pietro and his younger brother Giovanni to open their first factory in 1946.
Ferrero went from strength to strength but as it grew, it remained a company with strong family values, attention to detail and emphasis on quality. Indeed, when Pietro’s son, Michele, took control in 1957, he sent a letter to every employee, dedicating himself and the company to creating a future for them.
Michele was an innovator who revolutionised the Ferrero product range – he launched 20 products in total, kicking off in 1964 with Nutella, which was based on the original Giandujot, and continuing with Kinder and Tic Tac shortly after. When Kinder Surprise was launched in 1974, the innovative combination of toy and chocolate flew off the shelves – sweet shops had never seen anything like it.
Michele’s next great inspiration was the iconic Ferrero Rocher in 1982. He took five years to perfect it before its launch and its global popularity is, of course, legendary.
Under Michele, and today his son Giovanni’s leadership, the firm turned into a multinational with a €12.7 billion turnover in 2021. Now, three quarters of a century on from opening that first factory, Ferrero has become the world’s third largest producer of sweet packaged foods. It has 32 factories dotted around the globe and distributes Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac and Ferrero Rocher to more than 170 countries, including the UK.
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Life is all the sweeter when we take a moment to enjoy a treat with
family – an ethos that’s at the heart of Ferrero’s history. By Danny Scott
Community has always been
important and we are committed
to playing our part
Long-standing heritage
Early Ferrero vans transporting sweet
treats, and, right, the square in Alba today
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Photography: Simon Frederick
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With love from Piedmont:
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Much has changed since the 1940s but, in its third generation of family ownership, the attention to detail and quality that inspired the family at the beginning still underpin the Ferrero philosophy.
The same is true of the company commitment to family values, which brings an ethos recognising that global success requires global responsibility. It’s something that Ferrero takes very seriously indeed. Which is why Ferrero is ranked the No 1 manufacturer by the WWF for its commitments to sourcing sustainable palm oil.
It has also reinforced its cocoa commitments through its new charter, which includes sourcing 100 per cent of its cocoa through independently managed sustainability standards and supporting communities in west Africa via projects such as Save the Children. Ferrero also supports communities near its factory in Derbyshire, and donates food via a partnership with FareShare.
And it encourages responsible consumption by producing small individually wrapped portions and in fact 92.5 per cent of its portfolio is under 150kcal. The business has also committed to make all its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
Would the customers who flocked to buy Giandujot all those years ago still recognise the family firm that began life in the quiet Piedmont town of Alba? Its kitchens may be grander and more high-tech, but Ferrero’s goals and values remain reassuringly consistent: to celebrate life’s special moments and ensure quality sits at the heart of everything it does.
Ferrero has put smiles on UK faces for generations, but the company
also strives to leave a legacy through commitments to the environment,
its employees, its partners and local communities, finds Danny Scott
Sweet on progress
s the company behind brands such as Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Surprise and Thorntons, Ferrero has a natural connection with celebrations such as Christmas, and its products are firm favourites in British homes during the festive season and beyond.
However, that relationship also goes beyond chocolate, says Ferrero UK and Ireland managing director Philippe Steyaert. “At Ferrero, we have always believed that a diverse and inclusive workforce and culture of strong values is crucial to long-term business success,” he says.
“Those values are what drives our commitment to caring for our colleagues, and our pledges to respect the environment and the communities in which we operate. They are the inspiration behind our approach to thoughtful treating with our small portion sizes, and they inform our approach to quality and innovation, creativity and craftsmanship.
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“These deep-rooted values have allowed us to grow across the UK and Ireland while respecting people and the planet.”
Ferrero has been in the UK and Ireland for more than 50 years, but the acquisition of major brands Thorntons, Eat Natural and Fulfil, on top of the existing Ferrero factory in Cork and office space in west London, has helped to establish a serious presence in communities across the UK and Ireland.
Like Ferrero, Thorntons, one of the UK’s best-loved chocolate brands, was started by a family in 1911. The company’s proud local heritage was deliciously woven into my 1980s childhood thanks to the arrival of the Thorntons factory in the small market town of Alfreton, just south of Sheffield.
Whether you were looking for an impressive box of chocolates or a beautiful, hand-finished gift for Christmas, it had to be Thorntons. And the fact that it had been made just down the road from my house seemed to make it taste even better. I had relatives who worked at the factory, which, as far as my mates and I were concerned, had to be the greatest job in the world. Every day, you made… chocolate!
“When we acquired Thorntons in 2015, we had a clear opportunity to expand into sweet packaged food in the UK,” Steyaert says. “Since then we’ve invested more than £45 million into the quality of our products, our factory and our strategic plans for the future.
“Our factory in Alfreton has recently become a Centre of Excellence for assortments and model figures for the Ferrero Group, and we are continuing that journey by producing more Thorntons and Ferrero assortment products for the international market – as well as innovations for the UK market such as Thorntons Pearls and remastering Thorntons Classic and Thorntons Continental.”
A Ferrero-related company, specialising in biscuits, recently acquired Fox’s Biscuits and Burton’s Biscuits in the UK, creating the newly formed FBC companies, and this has enabled the company to expand its product offering in the sweet biscuits market. The acquisition of these two prestigious fine biscuit makers with a very rich heritage provides strong growth potential in the UK market.
Local roots
Thorntons began more than 100 years ago and
still has its factory in Alfreton, Derbyshire
Community support
Ferrero's unbranded Joy
of Moving programme inspires children to get active through play
As one of the world’s most trusted and socially responsible companies, in 2021, Ferrero was among the top three food companies in the Reputation Institute’s 100 most reputable companies list, ahead of many other major international names.
Ferrero likes to develop strong ties with the communities in which it operates. “Community has always been important to us and we are committed to playing our part in supporting how we can,” Steyaert says. “In particular, we are proud of our Joy of Moving programme. In the UK, this has been delivered through our long-term charity partnership with the English Football
League Trust and the Scottish Professional Football League Trust. As part of this nationwide initiative, we deliver unbranded programmes such as the Move and Learn Project and Joy of Moving Festivals in UK schools.
“These inspire children of all ages to develop key skills such as cognitive, motor and life skills by learning through play. The positive impact of this can inspire lifelong habits through to adulthood.”
Ferrero UK and Ireland now has a workforce of almost 1,200 and an annual turnover of half a billion pounds. To support this community of colleagues, Ferrero has launched a range of policies in the UK that include paid leave for caregivers and support for colleagues going through the processes of adoption, fertility treatment, surrogacy, pregnancy loss or gender transition.
The company fuses a modern, innovative and dynamic outlook with a rich confectionery heritage and has played a key role in the recent growth and development of Ferrero globally.
Most importantly of all, adds Steyaert: “It has stayed true to our values as a family-owned business with quality at its heart.”
For more information visit ferrero.co.uk
Illustrations: Tommy Parker for Bridge Studio
