Nutella was first introduced to the world 60 years ago, in 1964. Originally invented in an Italian pastry shop, it is now produced in 11 factories across the world: the first one outside Europe was opened way back in 1978 near Sydney, Australia. The company that produces Nutella – Ferrero – has always been family-owned, and according to Forbes, the current CEO, Giovanni Ferrero, is Italy’s richest man.

The chocolate and hazelnut spread is a global phenomenon: it is seared into our memories and is a significant part of life for countless families around the world. As a result, every last aspect of Nutella‘s branding has been examined in great detail: the firm is renowned for its marketing campaigns and for having created a globally recognised brand  that is adored by multiple generations.

Nutella is one of a small number of iconic long-selling products: it has been successful ever since its creation, adapting to the changing times but never altering its main features. Today we’d like to investigate the Nutella brand’s long history by studying its graphics, its unforgettable packaging and its most successful marketing campaigns.

A short history of Nutella

The first jar of Nutella was sold in April 1964 – 20 April to be precise – in Ferrero, a family-run pastry shop in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, northern Italy.

In the early 1950s, chocolate was a very expensive ingredient, and so the Ferrero family decided to alter the traditional recipe for gianduia (a blend of chocolate and hazelnut paste) by increasing the quantity of hazelnuts, which grew in abundance in the local area. They called their invention Supercrema Giandujot.

After enjoying early success with this spread, the members of the family-run business decided to sell their product outside Italy. And, in 1964, seeking a more international name, they came up with Nutella, derived from the English word ‘nut’. Other names reportedly considered then discarded included Nutsy, Nutina and Nutosa.

An unmistakable font: the Nutella logo and jars

Nutella managed its brand impeccably practically from day one, and its image is now viewed with great affection by millions of consumers all over the world. It helps that the brand has made some very wise choices over the course of its 60-year history, and changed very little.

Let’s start with the Nutella logo, which is one of the longest-lived logos in the world. The version designed in 1964 is remarkably similar to the current one, with just two small differences, made a few years after the spread was invented. Initially, the letters that followed the N (which has always been black) were brown, and not red as they are today. And the typeface was changed once: the firm opted for Helvetica, the ultra-modern font first created in 1957 that today is one of the world’s most popular choices.

Since these minor adjustments, Nutella’s image has remained identical, accompanied by the iconic slice of bread slathered in chocolate and hazelnut spread.

However, the iconic jars used to contain the spread have changed several times over the decades, although they have always remained highly recognisable. The first jar, with a hexagonal shape, has completely disappeared, replaced over the years by various designs: the modern jar, a reusable drinking glass and a single-portion container, first introduced in the 1980s.

Nutella drinking glasses

One of Nutella’s most popular forms of packaging – and a highly successful marketing ploy – came when it started using glass packaging in the size and shape of a drinking glass that could be reused by families.

The glasses – initially plain, with only a removable label – were later printed with designs of all types and to suit every occasion. The early decorations were highly imaginative, designed predominantly to provide bright, modern glasses for people’s homes.

From the 1990s, however, the glasses were increasingly targeted at children, and began to feature images of all kinds: cartoons and comics – including Asterix and Obelix, Tom & Jerry and the Flintstones – characters engaged in a wide range of activities, the seasons, football world cups and other sporting events, to name but a few. Decade after decade, with heaps of creativity, Nutella’s reassuringly familiar image made its way into consumers’ homes.

By the way, if you were a child and Nutella fan in the 1990s in a country where these glasses were distributed, we highly recommend visiting this website for a nostalgic dive into the past!

New images and new ideas

The Nutella brand has always managed to keep with the times, simultaneously innovating and remaining recognisable. For example, in 1996 – a few years after its thirtieth anniversary – it organised an exhibition at the famous Louvre gallery in Paris with the title ‘Generation Nutellas’, displaying works by artists and creatives raised on bread and Nutella including Georges Wolinski, Philippe Decouflé and Paco Rabanne.

In 2017, Nutella opened its first restaurant: the Nutella Cafè in Chicago. And guess what the entrance looked like? That’s right: a jar of Nutella!

Finally, in 2019, Nutella hit the jackpot by introducing Nutella Biscuits – round biscuits with a large heart and the unmistakeable N for Nutella at their centre. They were hugely successful: in just twelve months they became the top-selling biscuit in Italy, cementing Ferrero’s position in a new market.

Nutella today: limited-edition jars

INutella has never really stopped playing around with the graphics on its packaging, always with a nod to collectors. In recent years, for instance, it has a released a series of limited-edition versions of the iconic jar.

In 2020 and 2021, it launched a special-edition ‘Ti amo, Italia’ (I love you Italy) version, dedicated to the famous spread’s country of origin. There was also one for the USA, ‘Breakfast Across America’, launched in 2023.

In October 2022, 59 limited-edition ‘Nutella con Te’ (Nutella with You) jars were distributed across Europe depicting the most important events and inventions from every year since the company was founded. Everything from the first moon landing and the launch of the World Wide Web to the invention of the snowboard!

In 2023, Nutella launched a special edition in collaboration with the Italian encyclopedia Treccani: 21 words were chosen that make life better, one for each letter of the Italian alphabet. And finally, in 2024, the year of its sixtieth anniversary, Nutella launched the ‘Give a Nutella Smile’ campaign, putting smiles on its packaging to remind consumers and collectors of the importance of staying cheerful.

Now we all wait with bated breath to find out what Nutella’s next branding move will be!