Ferrero grew from an Alba bakery into a €19.3 billion food group

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  Ferrero grew from a small bakery in Alba, Italy, into a food group with consolidated revenue of €19.3 billion.

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  The company began in 1946, using locally abundant hazelnuts to make an affordable chocolate product when cocoa was expensive.

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  Its first Nutella jar left the Alba factory in 1964, and the spread is now sold in about 170 countries.

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  For the financial year ending 31 August 2025, the group reported 36 production plants and 48,697 employees.

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  Ferrero products are sold in more than 170 countries, according to the company’s latest results cited in the article.

Who

Ferrero, the Italian food group founded by Pietro Ferrero.

What

It grew from a small Alba bakery into a group with €19.3 billion in consolidated revenue.

When

The story began in 1946; the revenue figure is for the financial year ending 31 August 2025.

Where

Alba, in northwestern Italy, where Ferrero began.

Why

Pietro Ferrero developed a product that used abundant local hazelnuts in place of some expensive cocoa.

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