Jar with a Trademark Crack

Tradition is spelled in capital letters at Ferrero. This may be one of the reasons why neither the recipe nor the packaging of this internationally popular chocolate and hazelnut spread called Nutella has not changed at all since 1964. The sweet spread so well-loved today dates back to the late 40s. At the end of WWII chocolate was expensive and scarce but hazelnuts were abundantly available in the Piedmont region. Which is why Pietro Ferrero, who was later to become a “godfather” of chocolate, experimented with nuts and chocolate cream. The resulting, initially rigid bar later became the soft spread we know today. Company history says that the hazelnut bar coincidentally turned into a spread. Italy’s sun is said to have caused the bars to melt.

Over the past decades the little factory in Northern Italy became a “confectionary empire” and its various brands became classics – like the Nutella packaging. The curved glass has never changed its shape; its silhouette is inimitable – comparable to the iconic Coca-Cola bottle. But there is something else that is special about the Nutella packaging – namely the lid. It is said there are people who virtually “celebrate” the opening. First a short sliding noise then a loud crack and finally a golden protective foil waiting to be cleanly peeled off with patience and dexterity by chocolate lovers.

The secret to the unmistakeable crack lies in the seal and this seal has come care of Meyer Seals, the German SME from the Lower-Saxon town of Alfeld, ever since the chocolate hazelnut cream was launched in Germany. To the tune of five million sealing inlays leave the factory halls in the town located on the River Leine every year. In this process, which is hardly applied any more in the world, aluminium foil and cardboard are joined with the help of dozens of tiny wax points. Taking a closer look you can even see these after opening the foil. As soon as you unscrew the lid the many tiny path connections open up producing this sound. The cardboard remains in the lid, while the foil remains stuck to the glass protecting the cream.

The crack sound enjoys cult status and has become an established trademark. For confectionary group Ferrero this is an untouchable feature. When Meyer Seals proposed using the noiseless method for plastic-plastic joints used today, the answer from Italy was unambiguous: the traditional crack must stay. But this does not apply everywhere in the world. In the USA or Australia, for example, dead silence prevails.

Never mind traditions – there is one trend that Ferrero follows too. Personalised packaging ranks very highly on shoppers’ popularity stakes. And this is why early 2017 saw the “Your Nutella” campaign with personalised labels enter a new round. For the first time fans are now also invited to select hobbies and interests in various colours in addition to their names on the Nutella label. The self-adhesive labels are surface-mailed postage paid after entering a code and simply applied on top of the original label.

Facts about Nutella Jars

• The number of Nutella jars produced annually ... could be lined up along the river Danube 26 times. Crossing 10 different countries.
• The amount of Nutella jars produced every year weighs as much as the Empire State Building.
• The Great Wall of China could be covered eight times over with the Nutella jars sold each year.