Who was Francesco Rivella? Creator of Nutella dies at 97 on Valentine's Day

Francesco Rivella, regarded as the father of Nutella by many, died in Piedmont, Italy. He was 97 when he died on February 14, 2025, per reports from different outlets.

Rivella was a chemist, a businessman, and a former employee of Ferrero Group, who has been credited for creating the iconic Nutella spread. The Italian chocolatier held a degree in bromatological chemistry from the University of Turin. Shortly after earning his degree, he joined Ferrero Group in 1952 at the age of 25.

At Ferrero, Rivella worked closely with Michele, the son of the chocolate company’s founder, Pietro. Michele Ferrero, who inherited the company from his father, appointed Franceso Rivella as his right-hand man, per Jam Press. Francesco Rivella, under Ferrero’s ownership, helped improve the previous cocoa hazelnut spread.

Almost 12 years after Francesco Rivella’s joining, the first jar of Nutella was produced by the Ferrero Group, which later became an iconic product around the globe.

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Francesco Rivella helped improve Ferrero Group’s hazelnut-cocoa spread, which was rebranded as Nutella

Years before Nutella's launch, Ferrero Group was already producing a hazelnut-cocoa product, which became the precursor for the iconic hazelnut chocolate spread. According to Nutella’s official website, Ferrero created a sweet paste in the form of a load, made from “hazelnuts, sugar and just a little of the rare cocoa,” following the scarcity of cocoa after World War II.

The first hazelnut-cocoa paste was known as Giandujot. Its name was adopted from Gianduja, a blend of chocolate and ground hazelnuts. Giandujot’s block-like shape allowed anyone to slice it and spread it on a piece of bread. Five years later, Ferrero improved its product by transforming it into a creamy spread. The successor to Giandujot was named SuperCrema, which formed the basis of Nutella.

Over the upcoming decade, Michele Ferrero and Francesco Rivella worked on improving the recipe. According to Italian journalist Gigi Padovani’s book Mondo Nutella, which depicts the product’s story, Michele and Francesco traveled the world, which ultimately contributed towards the improvement of SuperCrema. Ultimately, in 1964, the first Nutella Jar was produced by Ferrero.

In the coming years, Michele Ferrero and Francesco Rivella’s innovation became a Europe-wide success. It took a couple of more decades for Nutella to become a worldwide sensation. The hazelnut spread, which marked its 60th anniversary in 2024, uses seven key ingredients, as per its official website.

Ferrero’s spread consists of Sugar, palm oil, 13% Hazelnuts, 8.7% Skimmed milk powder, and 7.4% Fat-reduced cocoa, along with lecithin (soya) and vanillin as emulsifiers.

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Francesco Rivella worked for Ferrero Group for four decades

Rivella continued to work at Ferrero years after the creation and launch of Nutella. Francesco later held the position of senior manager at the Ferrero. His career at the chocolate company spanned almost four decades before he retired in 1993.

Apart from working at Ferrero, Francesco also served as the president of the Order of Chemists of Piedmont. After his decades-long career, Rivella retired in Alba. He is survived by his four children – Three sons and a daughter – and seven grandchildren.