Man who put the Ferrero into Rocher dies

The man whose company is responsible for tasty treats like Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Surprise chocolates, Nutella spread and Tic Tacs has died while cycling in South Africa.

Italian Pietro Ferrero, 47, was joint chief executive of the family-owned Ferrero group, makers of the above-mentioned confectionery.

He shared the top role in the company with his brother Giovanni.

Their grandparents Pietro and Piero founded the company in 1942, selling the goods out of a small coffee bar and pastry shop in the Piedmont town of Alba, northern Italy.

Because it was hard to obtain cocoa during the war he came up with the idea of replacing it with locally-grown hazelnuts and invented a sweet butter-like paste that combined the nuts with cocoa butter and vegetable oil.

The recipe for the new paste remained a secret, but it proved so popular that the family was soon supplying confectionery shops throughout the region, Ferrero's obituary in The Telegraph reports.

The pastry shop soon transformed into a sweet factory.

In 1949 Pietro died, leaving his company in the hands of his son, Michele, who expanded into foreign markets, opening subsidiaries and factories across Europe.

In 1982 the company launched the now-famous Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates, much favoured by Kiwis as birthday and Christmas gifts.

Rocher actually comes from French and means "rock" - representing the crunchy little balls of hazelnut-filled chocolate.

Kinder Surprise, hollow chocolate eggs containing toy figurines, were introduced in Europe in 1989.

Michele Ferrero is listed as Italy's richest man in Forbes magazine's latest rankings, ahead of eyewear tycoon Leonardo Del Vecchio and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a billionaire television magnate-turned-politician.

Pietro Ferrero died in South Africa on Monday, where his company runs several charitable projects. A keen cyclist, he was riding the spectacular coastal road south of Cape Town when he collapsed.

According to a police spokesman, Ferrero was cycling along Victoria Road near Llandudno when he fell off his bicycle.

"A passer-by stopped to assist him and performed CPR. When ambulance services arrived they declared him dead. It is suspected he died of a heart attack", the spokesman said.

He is survived by his wife, Luisa, and their daughter and two sons.

- NZ HERALD STAFF, AGENCIES