Maria Franca Ferrero, Widow of Nutella Founder, Dies

Maria Franca Ferrero, the widow of Michele Ferrero, the man who created Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, has died at the age of 87 in Alba, Italy.

Born on January 21, 1939, Maria Franca worked as a translator at Ferrero from 1961. She married Michele Ferrero in 1962. Michele Ferrero was the inventor of Supercrema, which later became Nutella.

The Ferrero Group today has 36 production plants and a presence in over 170 countries, with a consolidated turnover of 19.3 billion euros. It employs 48,697 employees worldwide.

The last years of her life were marked by the death of her son, Pietro, in 2011 and her husband in 2015.

In December, Maria Franca Ferrero was appointed honorary chairwoman for life of Ferrero International.