Sweet Rest, Mr Ferrero

If there is something that, after football, unites Italians of all classes and political opinions, this must be Nutella.
The country itself is barely thinkable without it. Generations of children grew up with it, and kept loving it as adult. There must be no one in Italy who considers himself too fine, too rich, too good for Nutella.

The Ferrero empire spread from Piedmont after WW II. The elders in my family remembered when Nutella spread over the country in the form of… a solid bar of nougat, like a softer brick, and sold by weight. But soon Nutella became a spreadable cream, and conquered the world.

On this empire, another empire was built. Pocket Coffee, Mon Cheri, and then Ferrero Rocher brought further revenue. The small chocolate egg, “Kinder”, was also very popular, and many ancillary products followed.

So many have tried to imitate Ferrero’s product. Never have I found a competitor near as good. The slogan “Nutella e’ solo Ferrero” is more than an ads, it’s a proud statement of fact. Mon Cheri is unbeatable as value for money and outright scrumptious joy. Pocket coffee is the secret friend of Italian students, car drivers, and smart guys everywhere.

When I moved to Germany, a colleague was astonishing at being informed Ferrero is through and through an Italian company. Ferrero is so strong over there, he thought it was German.

I am Mundabor, and I am a Ferrero addict.

Michele Ferrero, the man who built out of his father’s company the worldwide empire, has died. A devout Catholic, he had called the Ferrero Rocher out of the grotto in Lourdes. In every one of the Feerero factories, a statue of the Blessed Virgin thrones over the operations.

I have never heard of him shameful things as I did of another Italian institution, Barilla. I trust the man died in the faith of his forefathers.

Sweet rest, Mr Ferrero. I’ll get some more pane e Nutella, of which this humble household is never deprived, before I go to sleep, and say a special prayer for you.

M