Michele Ferrero

Michele Ferrero (Italian pronunciation: [miˈkɛːle ferˈrɛːro]; 26 April 1925 – 14 February 2015) was an Italian entrepreneur. He owned the chocolate manufacturer Ferrero SpA, Europe's second largest confectionery company, which he developed from the small bakery and café of his father in Alba, Piedmont. His first big success was adding vegetable oil to the traditional gianduja paste to make the popular spread, Nutella.

Early life

Michele Ferrero was born on 26 April 1925 in Dogliani, the son of Pietro Ferrero, who founded the Ferrero company, and Piera Cillario.

Career

Ferrero joined the firm in 1949.

He was the richest person in Italy, with a personal wealth of $26bn surpassing Silvio Berlusconi in March 2008. In May 2014, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index listed Ferrero as the 20th richest person in the world.

Ferrero's brands include Nutella, Mon Chéri, Kinder Chocolate, Ferrero Rocher, Tic Tacs and Kinder Eggs.

From 1997, his sons, Giovanni Ferrero and Pietro Ferrero, co-led the company. Pietro died on 18 April 2011, after an accident in South Africa. Giovanni became the sole CEO.

Michele Ferrero (priest)

Michele Ferrero (born 1967) is a Catholic priest, born in Cuneo, Italy, Salesian of Don Bosco, Professor of Moral Theology and Classics, graduated from Taipei Fu Jen Catholic University. Faculty of Theology. He is author of books and articles about Taiwan, China and moral theology. He holds a doctoral degree in theology and a degree in Classics ("Laurea in Lettere Classiche") from the State University of Torino (Italy). He has served in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Turin, Italy and Jerusalem. He is the author of "The cultivation of virtue in Matteo Ricci's 'The true meaning of the Lord of Heaven'"(Fu Jen Catholic University Press, Taipei, 2004), an important study on moral issues common to the Christian and the Confucian traditions. He is currently teaching Latin and Western Classics at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He works as Foreign Expert in Latin at the National Research Centre of Overseas Sinology of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

He wrote "Il Cardinale Zen. Rosso Speranza" (Torino, Elledici, 2007); "Tuo padre ed io ti cercavamo" (with R. Spataro, Jerusalem, Latin Patriarchate Printing Press, 2007); “Saint Paul educator to faith and love” (with R. Spataro, Latin Patriarchate Printing Press, Jerusalem, 2008), “Sinologia Spirituale”, LAS, Roma, 2011.