Hanuta: Hazelnut and Chocolate Magic between Wafers
Ferrero Società per Azioni or privately held joint company is an Italian manufacturing company that produces branded chocolate and confectionery products. In the world, it is the third biggest chocolate producer and confectionery company. The company was founded in the year 1946 in the Piedmont region of Italy. The company’s original founder is Pietro Ferrero. Pietro was a small confectioner who laid the foundation for the creation of the tasty Nutella. It was his idea to add hazelnut to the delicious Nutella so that money could be saved by the use of chocolate.
Ferrero saw a great boom in its sales once Michele Ferrero, Pietro’s son took over the company. Michele, in turn, inherited the company to his sons. Ferrero’s success was now world renowned and was acknowledged by the Reputation Institute’s survey in 2009 which awarded the company with the title of the most reputable company in the entire world. In an article published in the Guardian, the Ferrero Company was branded as one of the world’s most secretive firms. The now CEO of the company, Giovanni Ferrero, claims that the company has over 38 trading companies and 21,500 employees in its eighteen factories. Every year, the company currently produces around four lakh tonnes of Nutella. Ferrero’s German factory is largest one in the world and is currently headed by Pasquale Giorgio.
Pietro’s love for both hazelnut and chocolate started in 1946. Pietro invented a cream made of cocoa and hazelnut which he derived from Gianduja and called it Giandujot. However, his initially made products were wrapped in foil made of aluminium. These solid loaves were meant to be cut with the help of a knife. His pursuit for creation, however, did not end here and soon Supercrema was introduced into the market, which could be easily spread.
Michele Ferrero, who took over the company, with his wife Maria Franca, soon relaunched the same recipe, but this time, it was named as Nutella. Nutella first hit the markets in the year 1964. After the Second World War ended, Michele and his wife decided to expand his business overseas and soon many foreign factories were set up. This led to Nutella becoming the leading Choco-nut spread brand in the world. Ferrero in the year 2014, became the leading hazelnut consumer. Ferrero would buy a total of twenty-five percent of the total hazelnut production of the world. Today, this company is run by Michele’s son and Pietro’s Grandson, Giovanni Ferrero.
Ferrero is also known in the world for keeping the recipe secret to the world. The company till date has never arranged a press conference and neither does it allow tourists or visitors to enter the plant. An engineering department which is in the house makes all the machines that are used for making the Ferrero products.
Let us now take a look at the two most important ingredients in the making of all Ferrero’s products including Hanuta.
Hazelnut
Hazelnut comes from the family of hazel and is also known by the name of filbert nut or cobnut. A cob of the hazelnut is generally oval to spherical and is generally about fifteen to twenty-five millimetres long and measures about ten to fifteen millimetres in diameter. The nut usually falls from the husk once it is ripe. It ideally takes about seven to eight months to ripe once pollinated. The seed’s kernel is completely edible and is used widely as roasted or even raw. Ti is also sometimes ground to make a paste. Usually, before the hazelnut is cooked, the skin which is brown and thin, is removed.
The largest producer of hazelnuts currently is Turkey. It is used for the purpose of confectionary to be mixed with chocolates or praline. Hazelnut oil has a strong flavor and is used for the purpose of cooking. The oil is extracted from the nut by the method of pressing. Hazelnuts are generally rich in manganese, vitamin E, monounsaturated fat and protein among various other essential nutrients.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a sweet, brown colored, preparation for food of the seeds of Theobroma cacao, which are usually ground and roasted, and is usually flavored with vanilla. Chocolate mixed with milk or water to make beverages, including Aztecs and the Mayans. Nahuatl, the name that was used then, is translated as ‘bitter water’. Chocolate may be sweet in taste, but the cacao tree has an extremely bitter taste. The beans of this tree are procured and fermented in order to develop the taste of the chocolate.
Once the fermentation process is done, it is first dried, then cleaned and roasted. The shell of the bean is removed in order to get hold of the cacao nibs. These nibs are then ground to produce a cocoa mass, which in its rough form is pure chocolate. This mass is then liquefied in order to use it as cocoa butter and cocoa solids. White chocolate usually contains milk, cocoa butter, sugar and contains no cocoa solids.
Solids made out of cocoa are a bug source of alkaniods such as theobromine, caffeine and phenethylamine, and flavonoids. Chocolates are used in many popular dishes and desserts including chocolate chip, brownies, mousse, pudding and cakes.
Wafer
In gastronomy, a wafer is considered as a sweet, thin, crisp, dry biscuit, which is usually used for the purpose of decorating. Wafers are also used as cookies, once cream flavoring is sandwiched in between them. Many famous chocolate bars including Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp and Hanuta.
Hanuta
Hanuta is a sweet made in Germany by the Ferrero Company, which consists of chocolate and hazelnuts. This preparation is then sandwiched between two wafers. The name is a short form for Haselnusstafel, which is a literal translation for a ‘hazelnut bar’.
Hanuta comes in a pack of ten wafers. However, the chocolate used in the making of Hanuta does not resemble the taste of milk chocolate, but rather dark chocolate.
Ingredients used in the making of Hanuta:
- Sugar
- Wheat flour
- Vegetable fat
- Hazelnut
- Reduced fat cocoa
- Whey protein which is sweetened
- Milk powder (skimmed)
- Milk chocolate (whole)
- Salt
- Flavors
- Semisweet chocolate
- Emulsifier lecithin
- Concentrated butter
- Vanilla sugar
- Sodium hydrogen carbonate
- Dextrose
History of Hanuta
1959: The original is released for the first time in original packaging. The packaging is an instant eye catcher to buy.
1974: The dream team decal along with the waffle is launched.
1980: A large pack of Hanuta is launched along with the offer pack.
1984: Mini pack of Hanuta is launched, which is ideal to consume while travelling.
1986: First commercial of Hanuta is launched on television.
1989: Turbulent the Musketeers, symbol for the Hanuta is launched, for promotion.
2003: Hanuta Minis are launched, which is an ideal pack for sharing.
2013: The old packaging of Hanuta is replaced by the new attractive packing.
2014: After the production of sales of Hanuta Classic, Almonds and Crunch, the new Hanuta- Milk and Crispies is launched.
2015: Hanuta completes its fifty-six years and according to the CY CSI survey, it becomes the most popular Hazelnut slice in the whole of Germany.