‘Father of Nutella’ Francesco Rivella dies at age 97

Italian chemist Francesco Rivella, best known as the inventor of Nutella, died on Valentine’s Day, according to various news outlets. He was 97.

Dubbed the “father” of Nutella by the Italian media, Rivella helped create the world’s most famous hazelnut spread.

Rivella began working at Ferrero – an Italian chocolate and confectionary company – in 1952, a dozen years before Nutella was introduced to the world, news agency Jam Press reported.

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He was 25 and was fresh from earning his degree in bromatological chemistry in Turin. 

Rivella worked in Ferrero’s “chemistry room,” where some of the brand’s most iconic creations were born. 

He was part of the Ferrero team responsible for studying raw materials to develop new products by blending, refining and tasting ingredients in pursuit of the perfect flavors.

Throughout his long career at Ferrero, Rivella eventually became a senior manager with the company, which was founded by namesake Pietro Ferrero in 1946.

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Rivella worked closely with Ferrero’s son, Michele Ferrero, who took over the family business, serving as his right-hand man, according to Jam Press.

The first iteration of what would become Nutella was originally called Giandujot, derived from gianduja – a confection made with chocolate and hazelnuts – and sold in 1946.

“The sweet paste of the first recipe was shaped into a loaf that could be sliced and spread on bread, named after a local carnival character,” according to Nutella’s website.

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By 1951, the paste was “transformed into a creamy new product that was easier to spread,” Nutella’s website said. It was called SuperCrema.

It would take more than a decade before the recipe was improved — leading to the creation of the first-ever jar of hazelnut and cocoa cream in 1964, the website said.

In his book “Mondo Nutella (Nutella World),” Italian journalist Gigi Padovani recalled that Rivella and Michele Ferrero traveled the world to buy sweets “not to copy them, but to make them better.” 

Nutella is made of seven ingredients, according to its website – sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, milk, cocoa, lecithin and vanillin.

World Nutella Day, established in 2007, was celebrated on Feb. 5.

After retiring, Rivella dedicated himself to fruit farming and the traditional Italian sport of pallapugno, Jam Press reported. 

Rivella is survived by three sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren. Michele Ferrero died on Feb. 14, 2015 – 10 years to the day before Rivella’s death.

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Rivella’s funeral was scheduled for Monday in Alba, where he lived after his retirement. He will be laid to rest in Barbaresco, according to reports. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Ferrero seeking further comment.