Michele Ferrero, Pioneer Who Gave the World Nutella, Dies at 89

[rug]

Michele Ferrero Credit European Pressphoto Agency

BY HILARY STOUT
FEB. 15, 2015

Michele Ferrero, widely regarded as the richest man in Italy and — a distinction more notable to lovers of sweets everywhere — the creator of Nutella, died on Saturday at his home in Monte Carlo. He was 89.

His death was announced on the website of his company, the Ferrero Group. The cause was not disclosed, but reports in the Italian news media said he had been ill for several months.

Mr. Ferrero presided over a vast international confectionary empire; he was sometimes referred to as a real-life Willy Wonka. He ranked 22nd on the most recent Forbes list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $26.5 billion. The magazine stated the source of his wealth simply: “chocolates.”

Actually, it was more than chocolates; Ferrero products include fruity and minty Tic Tacs, as well as Ferrero-Rocher candies and Kinder snacks. The company, which Mr. Ferrero’s father, Pietro, started in a Piedmont pastry shop in the 1940s, grew under the younger Mr. Ferrero’s leadership into a worldwide powerhouse, rivaling Mars, Nestlé and Hershey. Its sales in 2014 totaled about $10 billion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/16/business/michele-ferrero-pioneer-who-gave-the-world-nutella-dies-at-89.html?_r=

I think I'll wait a day or two before breaking the news to my daughters.

[MuttLikeMe]

1. RIP Signor Ferrero

Your Nutella has brought my tastebuds sooo much pleasure.

[uppityperson]

2. Awwwww.