Ferrero is a global company privately owned by the Ferrero family. The company has grown from a small Italian confectionery shop in 1942 (which was officially founded in 1946) creating appealing products from local hazelnuts in its home town Alba to become the fourth largest confectionery manufacturer in the world. It produces famous market-leading brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Surprise® and Kinder Bueno®. Ferrero has approximately 34,000 collaborators, 73 consolidated subsidiaries, including 20 production plants around the world, of which 3 are Ferrero Social Enterprises in Africa and Asia, and 8 agricultural companies in Chile, Argentina, Georgia, South Africa, Australia, Bulgaria, Italy and Turkey. Ferrero products are present and sold directly or through authorized retailers in around 160 countries belonging to the international community.