Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher(UK:/fəˌrɛəroʊˈrɒʃeɪ/fə-RAIR-ohROSH-ay,US:/-roʊˈʃeɪ/-⁠ roh-SHAY,Italian:[ferˈrɛːroroʃˈʃe]; stylized inall caps) is a brand ofchocolateandhazelnutconfectionmanufactured by the Italian companyFerrero.Michele Ferrerois credited as the product's creator.
Each Ferrero Rocher ball is covered in foil and placed into a paper liner. The confection is machine made and much of its production process is kept secret.
It is sold worldwide and is particularly associated with Christmas. The brand is known in the United Kingdom, and other countries such as Mexico, by the popular 1990s 'ambassadors' advertisementFerrero Rocher: "The Ambassador's Party" on YouTube.
Ferrero Rocher was introduced in 1979 in Italy and in other parts of Europe in 1982.Michele Ferrero, the credited inventor, named the chocolate after agrottoin theRoman Catholicshrine ofLourdes,Rocher de Massabielle[fr].Rochercomes fromFrenchand means 'rock' or 'boulder'.
The chocolate consists of a whole roastedhazelnutencased in a thinwafershell filled with hazelnut chocolate and covered inmilk chocolateand chopped hazelnuts.Its ingredients are milk chocolate,sugar,cocoa butter,cocoa mass, skimmilk powder,butteroil,lecithinasemulsifier(soy),vanillin(artificial flavor), hazelnuts,palm oil,wheat flour,whey(milk), low fatcocoa powder,sodium bicarbonate(leavening agent), andsalt.
The production process is a secret, and no smartphones or notebooks are allowed inside the production facilities. As of 2015, few journalists have ever been invited to visit.As of 2015, the production in theAlbafactory totals 24 million Ferrero Rochers a day.
The mechanised production process begins with flat sheets of wafer with hemispheres moving down an assembly line.The hemispheres of the wafers are then filled with a chocolate hazelnut cream and part of ahazelnut. Next, two of these wafer sheets—one with a hazelnut and one with hazelnut chocolate creme—are clamped together. The excess wafer is cut away, producing wafer balls. These are then coated with a layer of chocolate, a layer of chopped hazelnuts, and a final layer of milk chocolatebefore the chocolate ball is wrapped in gold-coloured foil.
Roughly 3.6 billion Ferrero Rochers are sold each year in over 42 countries.These include 28 countries inEuropeincluding theUK, eight countries inAsia, five countries inAfricaincludingSouth Africa, nine countries in theAmericas, and two countries inOceania.
Ferrero Rochers are associated with the holiday season during Christmas and New Year. As of 2015, 62% of Ferrero Rochers were sold within the last three months of the year.
AUnited Kingdomadvertisement in the 1990s was based upon a party in a European ambassador's official residence, with the chocolates arranged into a pyramid and portrayed as a sophisticated treat. The advertisement has been repeatedly parodied in popular culture since.In 2000, the ambassador's party commercial was ranked 21st inChannel 4's poll of "The 100 Greatest TV Ads".
Ferrero Rocher is popular among immigrant communities in the United States due to its relatively low price compared with otherluxury goods, along with its upscale appearance and marketing. Before Ferrero Rocher was available in mainland China, it was a popular gift from people inHong Kong, who nicknamed Rocher "gold sand", to people on the mainland aroundChinese New Year.
In 2017, police made several arrests and seized 300,000 pieces of counterfeit Rocher which had been produced in a factory inWuhu.Ferrero had spent USD $1 million and five years fighting Chinese firm Montresor, whose "Tresor Dore" chocolates were priced at one-third of the cost of the genuine Rocher; an April 2008 court ruling had previously ordered Montresor to cease production.