Everyone knows Nutella and almost everyone loves it. Delicious spreads have gained a cult following in the US and around the world, but few people know how Nutella came about.
The lack of major imports due to WW2 left many Italian chocolates with no product. To increase their limited supply they added chopped hazelnuts to their mix. What started as a gimmick chocolate replacement eventually evolved into Nutella as we know it today!
Nutella: heavenly spread that has captured the appetites of millions of people worldwide. In just one year, Nutella sold enough jars to cover the Great Wall of China 8 times. But how did this nutty breakfast spread like this? As you will soon find out, Nutella came in very deep times of war and turmoil.
The creamy conch shell has a long and winding history, dating back to 19th-century Italy. Nutella's first predecessor about thanks to none other than Napoleon Bonaparte. As the story goes, chocolate was a rarity due to the Napoleonic Wars between France and several other European countries, including Great Britain.
Now, Britain was a global center of commerce and Napoleon naturally forbade French allies and neutral colonies to trade with the British in an attempt to destroy their economy. The result was a continental blockade that drove up the price of chocolate.
People were scrambling to find a solution, and some resourceful Italian chocolatiers had the idea of ​​adding chopped hazelnuts to their chocolate to increase their supply. The result was a delicious paste that came to be called gianduia.
While popular during the war, it faded into obscurity that once cocoa imports returned in full swing. But, you know what they say: History repeats itself, and before another dictator's shadow threatened the Italian chocolate industry once again.
Italian chocolate lovers simply did not get a break, it seems, as the country once again found itself in crisis in the wake of World War II. But the Italians were hardworking and went back to their old ways of increasing their limited chocolate supply.
This time, however, a pastry maker named Pietro Ferrero will take Jianduya to the next level. He created a new recipe using hazelnuts, small bits of sugar, and cocoa, which he could get his hands on. The result was a thick, sweet bread, known as Jayanaduja. If you're having trouble imagining a version of Nutella that has to be cut with a knife, don't worry - it's never really been caught. However, this failure did not stop Ferrero from trying again.
He targeted the drawing board, and in 1951 he came up with an expandable version. He called it Super Crema, and although its name was artificial, it did not taste.
Since it was spreadable, a small portion of it moved a lot further, and the price made it accessible to chocolate lovers, who could afford the real thing.
The results of World War II, of course, continued to send shock waves around the world, but at least people finally had an economical way to satisfy their sweet tooth.
Now we fast in 1964 when Super Crema's recipe was adjusted for mass production and reintroduced as Nutella. By that time, Pietro had handed over control of the company to his son Michel. Over the next few decades, he would spread Nutella across Europe and then the United States, creating an empire that would have embarrassed Napoleon. Of course, to make other iconic sweets like Pharrell Rocher and Kinder, Michelle won't rest on her laurels, but that's a story for another time.
Mitchell's biggest strategy, however, was his focus on privacy, as during his tenure the company refused to hold press conferences or give anyone access to their plants. With such tight control over its production, Mitchell can keep high quality while the company speeds up.
Nutella quickly ceased to be a substitute for chocolate and gained a cult following of its own.
Today, you can connect with fans who spread Nutella on their morning toast, and you can celebrate World Nutella Day on 5 February each year. In many ways, Nutella is a testament to the persistence of humanity. It was built in the wake of one of the worst wars in history, and it continues to make people smile.
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