Spread the news: The man who brought nutella to the world has died

Billionaire Michele Ferrero, who became Italy’s richest man with a confectionary empire built on his popular Nutella spread, died on Saturday at the age of 89, Italian media said. It was Ferrero’s father, a smalltime pastry maker named Pietro Ferrero, who laid the groundwork for the recipe and famously added hazelnut to it to save money on chocolate. But it was Michele Ferrero who turned the paste into the Nutella now known the world over.

I have learnt with emotion of the passing of Michele Ferrero, a true entrepeneur, known and loved in Italy and abroad.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella

Ferrero now produces around 365,000 tonnes of Nutella every year in 11 factories around the world. The biggest market is Germany, followed by France and Italy. The Ferrero group also makes Ferrero Rocher, Mon Cheri and Kinder chocolates and employs more than 22,000 workers. The group has an annual turnover of more than £6bn. Ferrero and his family were estimated by Forbes to hold Italy’s biggest fortune at £13.25bn in 2013.

Ferrero was a leading light in Italian business for many years, always managing to stay on trend thanks to his innovative products and his tenacious and cautious work. Italy remembers him with gratitude.

Sergio Mattarella

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