Nutella, the Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread, is celebrated internationally with World Nutella Day on 5 February. This year also marks the 60th anniversary of the iconic brand by Ferrero, a Made in Italy success story, invented in 1964. The story of Nutella goes back to post-war Italy when cocoa was a scarce commodity.
Ferrero, founded as a pastry shop in Alba, northern Italy, responded to the cocoa shortage by creating a sweet paste made from hazelnuts, sugar and a small quantity of cocoa. This sweet-tasting concoction, named Giandujot, was originally sold as a solid block before being modified into the spreadable Nutella we know today.