How Nutella's Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Was Popularized In America

Nutella set a new standard for sandwich spreads. Its chocolate hazelnut flavor gave the classic and long-reigning peanut butter companies fierce competition and redefined sandwich preferences for many. With most of its popularity in America stemming from ad campaigns in 1999, it is difficult to imagine that Nutella actually has a history that goes back many decades.

Truthfully, Nutella's youthful appearance is because it only became popular in America in recent years. Despite the fact that Nutella hit shelves in America in 1983, it would take more than a decade for it to become widely popular. The sweet spread suddenly took America by storm in the late 2000s and early 2010s after the first celebration of World Nutella Day, which later resulted in a unique American variant of Nutella that tastes different from the original European spread.

Years later, Nutella still maintains its popularity. In 2020, over 11 million Americans ate at least one jar of Nutella, according to Statista. But Nutella's rise to become a beloved phenomenon in America took a long time. Its story can be traced all the way back to a different chocolate hazelnut paste from the days of Napoleon's reign.

Before it was a spread, it was a paste. Nutella is essentially a spreadable version of pasta gianduja, which is a block of chocolate paste invented to combat the restriction of goods imposed by Napoleon's blockade. The paste was first invented in Turin, Italy and named after Gianduja, a Piedmontese marionette character.

The Nutella that the world knows today was first invented in 1964 by Pietro Ferrero, an Italian chocolatier who also went on to make Ferrero Rocher. Just like gianduja, Nutella was again made out of necessity due to the scarcity of spreadable chocolate after World War II. The spread became widely popular in Europe and eventually spread to Asia before coming to America.

The spread would not reach the heights of American fame until the establishment of World Nutella Day. Invented by American blogger Sara Rosso, the event gained traction online, leading to interest in the brand. Although the holiday was not originally created by the company itself, World Nutella Day has since been taken under the Ferrero wing and perpetuates to this day. Now, Nutella is more than a spread, with bakers finding creative ways to use Nutella in all kinds of desserts, like cakes, crepes, and even two-ingredient chocolate soufflés.