Let's find out how your jar of happiness became a part of world history.
Batul Nafisa Baxamusa
5th February is celebrated as World Nutella Day.
Have you ever given it a thought about where and when did your favorite Nutella originate?
Let's dwell on history and find out some quick bites that will help you know about the origins of Nutella.
Scarcity Leads to the Invention of Giandujot
It is the perfect marriage between hazelnut and chocolate. This near-perfect combination had a simple progenitor, gianduia.
Gianduia (john-DOO-ya) was created by Turin's chocolatiers who could not access cocoa due to a blockade by the British.
This idea was the brainchild of Pietro Ferrero from Piedmont, Italy. He used the hazelnut powder to make a sweet paste with sugar and a little bit of the rare cocoa.
He sold it as Giandujot, in the shape of a loaf that could be sliced and applied to bread.
A Steady Growth in Popularity
The chocolate blocks became popular among kids who loved their chocolate-flavored sandwiches.
As the popularity grew, Pietro decided to make the blocks creamier and easy to spread on bread. Soon, he introduced a product called 'Supercrema Gianduja.'
The Birth of Chocolate Revolution
Michele Ferrero, Pietro's son, continued to experiment with his father's recipe.
In 1964, he hit the jackpot by creating a jar filled with rich cocoa and hazelnuts.
This chocolate spread was of the finest quality and took the market by storm.
And We Present to You...
utella
n
Michele gave it a lot of thought and named his rich chocolate spread 'Nutella.' The 'nut' came from 'hazelnut, and 'Ella' stood as a suffix of positivity.
Notice how the letter 'N' in the logo is black while the other letters are in red? Well, another brand used the same name, and due to trademark issues, these changes were incorporated.
The Journey to Become a Global Brand
After a year of its launch, Nutella was introduced to the German and French markets.
The popularity of Marmite in the British market was one reason Ferrero was a bit skeptical about launching Nutella here.
But once they did, Nutella was quick to overshadow Marmite.
Nutella Earns A Well-Deserved Global Popularity
From France to Australia, Canada to the U.S., Nutella took over all the markets by storm.
It is said, Michele Ferrero was the richest man in Italy until the day of his death in 2015!
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Nutella is not just a chocolate spread but an emotion for many. It has been a part of our childhood and continues to remain so for our children.
We hope this crash course on the history of Nutella helped you learn more about the humble origins of this sweet treat.