The Complete History of Nutella - A Jar Full of Joy

Chocolates are something that we all love. After chocolates, there is another thing that makes us drool. This is our very own Nutella.

Nutella gives a tough competition to people’s love towards chocolates. Whether you want a spread for your bread or something sweet to eat, Nutella is probably the first name to pop up in the head.

Nutella is a part of chocolate lovers’ favourite company Ferrero. The spread is a specialized mix of hazelnut and chocolate. This simple yet unique combination makes the spread the ultimate love of everyone.

Nutella has been with us for many decades now. Indeed, it is a tried, tested, and lovable brand.

Origin of Nutella - Back to World War II
The Birth of Nutella
The Global Expansion of Nutella
The Supply Expansion Problem and Solution of Nutella
The Popularity of Nutella
Keeping up with the Marketing Trends
FAQs

Origin of Nutella - Back to World War II

The history of Nutella is quite older than we could think of. Its history can be traced back to the time of World War II. During that time, markets faced a shortage of cocoa.

In Italy, in the year 1946, there was a chef named Pietro Ferrero. He noticed this shortage and decided to do something about it. So, he created a paste mixed with loads of hazelnuts and some chocolate. He then made blocks of this paste and started selling.

These blocks were first cut into slices and then used between slices of bread. The mothers would make sandwiches with these chocolate slices. The children began to love the chocolate flavour. This made these blocks quite popular among the locals.

Pietro then had an idea to make these blocks creamier in texture. A creamier texture would help it to spread easily on the bread. He spent days making certain changes to make it creamier like a spread. The resulting product made was then called ‘Supercrema Gianduja’.

The Birth of Nutella

In the year 1964, Pietro’s son, Michele tried to modify his father’s recipe. He wanted to make certain improvements to ensure the finest quality of the spread.

This was the first time that a jar mixed with rich cocoa and hazelnuts got made. Pietro’s son gave a lot of thought and decided to name it ‘Nutella’.

The names came into existence by combining two words. The first ‘nut’ from ‘hazelnut’ and ‘Ella’, a suffix of positivity. The letter ‘N’ in the logo is in black and the rest of the letters are in the colour red. Ferrero had to keep the letter N in black due to trademark issues. There was another brand that used the name Nutella. So, to keep it different, he changed the colour of the letter ‘N’.

This was the year (1964) when our beloved Nutella came into existence. Since then, this sweet and savoury jar of spread has become a go-to choice for breakfast.

The Global Expansion of Nutella

In the following years, Nutella began its journey on becoming a global brand. In 1965, one year later of its launch, it took over the German market. Then it started its expansion over other markets.

In 1967, Nutella made its Italian television debut. It appeared on a television program, Carosello. This first advertising campaign by Nutella took over the hearts of Italy.

After Italy, Nutella became super popular in France and Germany. The children from various countries began to cherish this delicious spread. This encouraged Nutella to expand itself in more countries.

The brand has used strategic planning for its expansion. It conducts deep research before entering any new market. It considers various factors. These include checking competitors, market space, availability of raw materials, etc.

Nutella was quite sceptical about entering the markets of Britain. The people’s interest there was too invested in another spread named Marmite. But as it’s said, interests can change. Nutella was never a quitter. It created special campaigns, which were specific to the country. At last, it came in Britain’s markets and hereafter outdo Marmite.

The Supply Expansion Problem and Solution of Nutella

As the brand began to become global, the supply of jars increased. Nutella has various plants around the world for its production. There are plants in Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and more. The first Nutella plant was established in 1978, in Lithgow, near Sydney. But with increased production, there arose a problem. It was the shortage of supply.

Ferrero uses hazelnuts in large amounts. It was quite predictable that they would not be able to buy anymore as there would not be enough of it. So, the company came up with a patient yet a fruitful idea. It was to plant their trees.

In the 1990’s the process of planting trees began. 6.6 million trees have been planted and more plantations are in their plan. These plantations helped the company get rid of its major future problem. This also created trust among the customers as it ensured the greatest purity.

The Popularity of Nutella

Nutella’s amazing taste and great advertising over time made it popular. It became so popular that there is now a World Nutella Day. It came into existence on 5^th February 2007. It’s celebrated every year since then.

The greatest strategy that contributed towards the company’s success is keeping up with the time. Since the earlier times, Nutella has always come up with relatable and trendy advertisements.

Nutella has always shown happy families enjoying their jar together. This helped it become a family-friendly product. Such ads made people consider Nutella as a jar full of joy.

Keeping up with the Marketing Trends

The company likes to keep up with the new generation’s customers. It was one of the first corporate to plunge into the sea of social media. People liked to share their experiences with Nutella. They were sharing recipes, tweeting, and making videos around it.

In 2014, there were 17 million tweets that contained the term Nutella. People even made YouTube channels about Nutella.

Nutella’s jump into social media proved to be successful for the company. They now create online campaigns to attract more consumers.

In 2014, Nutella celebrated its 50^thanniversary with a global campaign. It was ’50 Years Full of Stories’. In this campaign, Nutella asked its huge fan base to share their experiences or stories with Nutella. By sharing images, texts, or videos, the fans would get a chance to win prizes.

This campaign was a shift from the company’s earlier advertisements. Earlier the company focused on educational and regional specific ads for promotions. However, with the changing times, Nutella’s strategies have also changed and are keeping up with the trends.

Conclusion

Nutella, the delicious mix of chocolate and hazelnuts is now a global product. It is not only the good taste but also the company’s great strategies over the years that have made this brand so huge.

Nutella is no more just a jar; it is like an emotion now. It is like a cure for loneliness and sorrows for children and teens. Thus, Nutella has created a huge place in people’s hearts. Now, it is like an absolute leader in the market making every other competitor look inferior to it.

According to the Guinness book of world records, Nutella has also won the title of 'Largest Continental Breakfast', where 27,854 people were gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Nutella.

FAQs

Why is Nutella banned?

Nutella has been pulled off from Italian supermarkets over the claims that its ingredients may cause cancer.

Who is the biggest consumer of Nutella?

France is the biggest consumer of Nutella, the factory in Nutella makes 100,000 tons of chocolate spread.

Why is the N Black on Nutella?

The letter ‘N’ is in black because there was already a company named Nutella, so Ferrero had to keep the letter N in black due to trademark issues.