Ferrero's success goes back to the â40s. These were the years when Piera and Pietro, Micheleâs parents, transformed a pastry shop into a factory. The Ferreroâ Family was the first Italian manufacturer after World War II to open production sites and offices abroad in the confectionary sector, turning the Company into a truly international Group. These first and decisive steps forward were thanks to the products âinventedâ by Pietro Ferrero and his son Michele, who was then very young. Another key to success was the effective sales network organized by Giovanni, Pietroâs brother, who died in 1949.
Following the success of the company in Italy, Michele Ferrero decided to start producing also abroad. In 1956 a large plant in Germany was inaugurated and a short time later a plant in France. It was the prelude to a rapid expansion of Ferrero in Europe, with the establishment of commercial offices and production centers in Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In the following decades, Ferrero becomes global, with companies and plants in North and South America, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Australia; and, more recently, in Turkey, Mexico and China. And eventually, South Africa, where they have become a household name.
