Quality has always been at the heart of everything Ferrero does. What originally started as a small family-run business in Italy, quickly became one of the world’s largest and most well-known sweet-packaged food companies. The taste of hazelnuts and chocolate that characterize most of its products, starting with Nutella, is distinguishable worldwide. Since its founding in 1946, Ferrero has checked every step of its raw materials’ journey. This process is known as ‘Sacco Conosciuto’ – knowing what’s in the bag – and it remains a core part of the company’s business practices. As well as proof of the multinational’s dedication to responsible sourcing.
Michele Ferrero, the company’s founder, established a foundational principle of unwavering commitment to complete traceability from the outset. Within the multinational, hazelnuts are sourced either through cultivation or acquisition in their raw form from the latest available harvest. These raw hazelnuts undergo roasting, typically within one, two, or at most three days before their utilization. Subsequently, they are transformed into granules or paste, forming the essential core of Nutella, or utilized in their whole form.
The CEO Giovanni Ferrero, asserts, “Our objective is to gain comprehensive insight into the raw materials that constitute our product portfolio. The term ‘Sacco Conosciuto’ epitomizes quality across all dimensions. It encompasses a series of procedures designed to ensure traceability, freshness, safety, and overall quality of our raw materials throughout the entire supply chain. This unwavering commitment to excellence aligns with our core mission of sustaining the highest quality standards in our production processes.”