Ferrero Alba: Company and town merge

Ferrero Alba: the story of a loving bond between the company and the city
When I’m around the world and they ask me where I’m from, I always say Italy, Piedmont, Alba…Nutella!!! It is enough to say Ferrero Alba or the Nutella Factory, and everyone goes crazy with envy. They ask if we eat Nutella every day if they let people taste it around, if we taste new products before the rest of the world, and so on …

Ferrero Alba is known worldwide. The headquarters still stands where it was born, although, of course, it has expanded dramatically.

The Ferrero factory was born in the 1940s from a pastry shop owned by Piera Cillario and Pietro Ferrero! After the company’s success in Italy, their son, Michele Ferrero, started producing and marketing its products abroad by opening other Ferrero factories.

Ferrero was a solid, local alternative to Fiat’s assembly lines in Turin, helping to stem the depopulation of the Alba countryside. What ties Ferrero company to the local area is the great respect for employees and the sharing of success with the local community. Ferrero Italy was just the beginning!

Memories of a Ferrero Alba employee

Let me tell you about an episode that my great-grandmother often tells me. I only make a small introduction… My great-grandmother turns 99 this year!

She always tells me how much she enjoyed working in the Ferrero company.

She was a farmer in the Langa before moving to the city. Everything was new at Ferrero, but the challenges never scared her. With two small daughters to raise, she worked shifts without problems because she enjoyed going to work.

She told me about the production of the first Mon Chéri. One day, she worked in the new production department of the future Mon Chéri. During their production, everyone kept tasting them. In those days, it was customary to taste new products so that we could figure out what to improve or what ingredients to change.

My grandmother told me smilingly, “That time, when my shift was over, we couldn’t complete the platform we were supposed to do as scheduled.

At a good time, Mr. Michele arrived to taste the new Mon Chéri. He asked why we had produced so few. Our colleagues looked at each other, laughing under our breath, looking for an excuse… At that point, Michele realized that we had eaten quite a few, and instead of scolding us, he said, “Well, if you liked them so much, let’s continue the production,” and left smiling. We also went home smiling because we were prettydrunky.”

Ferrero Rocher Alba and other Ferrero products

I mentioned Mon Cheri, but I think some products are so famous that they have become a name that lives on in the world: the Rochers, the Tic Tacs, the Kinder egg. Sure, you can also name them Ferrero Rocher, but in most countries, they are the Rocher chocolates. Elegant, unmistakable, and much imitated!

I could tell you many more episodes like these to help you understand that even then, there was a pleasant working environment, and the employee played a key role.

If you ask about Ferrero in Alba, everyone has a memory to tell. Ferrero in Alba is well-being, solidity, and the scent of chocolate that floods the streets!

“Ferrero Spa Alba is now firmly ranked among the top companies in the world for its reputation. This is also due to its important social responsibility initiatives. Ferrero pays constant attention to the lives of its employees, former employees, and the people in the communities where it operates. This commitment is also demonstrated through the activities of the Ferrero Foundation and Kinder Joy Of Moving.”

Ferrero and social welfare

As a result, Ferrero employees have many benefits, including free bus to work, free daycare for their children, recreational activities, trips, reduced admissions to the gym, reduced price purchase of products at the Ferrero store, and so on.

I would say these are essential benefits that make a healthy work environment.

What do you think?

Unfortunately, the Ferrero plant in Alba is not open for visits, but the company is very much involved in enhancing the cultural heritage of Alba and Piedmont. The Ferrero group is now overbearing and vital in many countries worldwide. Ferrero Chocolate and others have established themselves as serious, critical, reliable, and desirable!

Alba Ferrero and the Foundation

The Ferrero Foundation, a short walk from the plant, often hosts art exhibitions ranging from the 15th century to the contemporary age. The Foundation also has a Documentation Center open to researchers, students, and enthusiasts. It provides scholarships to the children of Ferrero employees every year and supports scientific research and Ph. Ds.

That is why people worldwide envy me when I say I am from Alba!

Now, do you understand?

Our noses smell different scents, such as chocolate, mint, tea, and coffee, every day.

Visit us in Alba, and you will walk with your nose up!