Whenever we enter a general store and wander over to the chocolate aisle, it is almost impossible to miss the eye-catching box of gold-foiled chocolates titled Ferrero Rocher. The elegance and class of the design is obviously evident as we are drawn to purchase it, first by its striking appearance and by its attention-grabbing exoticness. Ferrero, a well-loved brand most known by its chocolates Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, and delicious hazelnut spread Nutella, started off with a humble beginning in Italy in 1946. The group has grown exponentially, thanks to its progressive and global outlook which puts its product and people first. Today, it has presence in 55 countries with its Asia Pacific headquarters situated in Singapore. This article will explore its presence in Sri Lanka and how it has grown over the years.
What is Ferrero Rocher?
Ferrero Rocher is a chocolate and hazelnut confectionery produced by the Italian chocolatier Ferrero. The Ferrero Rocher was introduced in 1982 in Europe. Shortly after release, production was halted due to a problem with label printing. Michele Ferrero, the credited inventor, named the chocolate after a grotto in the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes, entitled Rocher de Massabielle. Rocher comes from French and means rock or boulder.
The chocolate contains a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut chocolate and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. Its ingredients are milk chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skim milk powder, butteroil, lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin (artificial flavor), hazelnuts, palm oil, wheat flour, whey (milk), lowfat cocoa powder, sodium bicarbonate (leavening agent), and salt.
The production process is secretive, with no smartphones or notebooks allowed inside, and, as of 2015, few journalists have ever been invited to visit. As of 2015, the production in the Alba factory totals 24 million Rochers a day. The sweet is produced by machinery. The 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 a hazelnut. Next, two of these wafer sheets, one with a hazelnut and one with hazelnut chocolate cream, are clamped together. The excess wafer is cut away producing wafer balls. These balls are then coated with a layer of chocolate, a layer of chopped hazelnuts, and a final layer of chocolate before the chocolate is packaged.
What makes Ferrero Rocher stand out in Sri Lanka?
It is evident that the pleasing wrapping and presentation of Ferrero Rocher contributes to its increased purchasing, primarily because it serves as the ideal gift for loved ones, standing out with its elegance. As depicted above, there are several existing gift boxes in various delivery services that utilize Ferrero Rocher chocolates to give it an extra glamour.
œThere™s Never Been a Fine Chocolate Like This Before!� Ferrero Rocher ads declared, and we in Sri Lanka ate it right up. It was the perfect marketing ploy directed towards the perfect target audience, and it worked.
Encased in gold aluminum, the sweet treat is a glowing orb that conceals the pains, joys, and dreams of everyday life between layers of crushed hazelnut and chocolate filling. It was a sign of respect and good taste. It is a symbol of œthe good life,� a tangible thing that vividly encapsulated social and economic aspirations in a way no other food item could.
Where to buy Ferrero Rocher Chocolates in Sri Lanka?
It has almost become a practice for us to sigh loudly at the beautifully arranged packages of Ferrero Rocher lined up on supermarkets, perfect for the eating. It is available in all supermarkets, including but not limited to Cargill™s Food City, Keells and Arpico Super center.
Ferrero Rocher was most commonly associated with duty frees in the 90s, primarily because any relative that travelled abroad would clutch a box of Ferrero Rocher on their visit to your family. However, at present, all online delivery sites, a few namely Kapruka.com, Wishque.com, mydeal.lk, dessertcart.lk, ubereats.com and fablanka.com. It is also not uncommon to deliver your loved with fresh flowers and Ferrero Rocher chocolates in an appealing gift box through delivery services as well.
How famous is Ferrero Rocher in Sri Lanka?
After Ferrero Rocher established its dominance in Southeast Asia, the elite Sri Lankans devoured the sweet hazelnut chocolate, associating it with good times and happiness. At present, we have evolved to purchasing the elegant boxes of Ferrero Rocher as gifts and well wishes to our loved ones.
In 2017, Ferrero opened its Southeast Asian Innovation center in Singapore as an important gateway for the South-east Asian region, where it sees growing demand for consumer goods such as the company’s well-known chocolate and confectionary products. The facility – its first in Asia – will focus on the areas of health and nutrition, product research and development, as well as mining consumer insights.
In terms of financial benefit and sales, while 80 per cent of the company’s sales still come from European markets, Asia is becoming more dominant and important, and Ferrero Rocher is keen on investing more outside of Europe.
It was reported within the year 2018 that thirty three existing products of Ferrero, including Ferrero Rocher, is Halal certified, paving the way for increased sales within predominantly Muslim communities, including in Sri Lanka.
It is important to note that many of our Sri Lankan citizens has actively played a part in boosting the company™s sales with their purchases of Ferrero Rocher throughout the years.