Exclusive: Ferrero uses legacy brands to fuel mashups, growth
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Ferrero is continuing to expand beyond candy with a strategy focused on reviving legacy brands. Photo: Courtesy of Ferrero
Ferrero is using its growing portfolio of legacy brands to create nostalgia-fueled mashups and crossover products as it expands deeper into protein and breakfast, the company told Axios.
Why it matters: Armed with iconic names like Nutella, Butterfinger and Kellogg, Ferrero is using acquisitions and innovation to revive aging brands in categories many larger companies have struggled to grow.
The big picture: The company best known for its candy brands says its acquisition of WK Kellogg last year for $3.1 billion isn't simply a bet on cereal — it's a broader push into breakfast as eating habits evolve around protein, fiber and GLP-1-driven consumer trends.
- "It's less about investing in the cereal category and more about investing in the morning occasion," Michael Lindsey, president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America, told Axios in an exclusive interview ahead of the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Las Vegas.
- Ferrero plans to apply the same turnaround strategy it used with Keebler, Butterfinger and Crunch to Kellogg and protein-snack brand Power Crunch.
Between the lines: Ferrero sees opportunities in both protein-focused breakfasts and nostalgic family cereals.
- "Protein is extremely hot right now," Lindsey said, predicting fiber will be the next big trend.
- Ferrero plans to launch Power Crunch granola in January as part of a broader protein push.
- Lindsey also said Ferrero is putting "joy and surprise" back into family cereals by reintroducing toys that many brands eliminated over the years to cut costs.
What they're saying: Lindsey said Ferrero's status as a privately held company allows it to invest more aggressively than publicly traded rivals focused on short-term quarterly results.
- He said competitors have become too focused on cost cuts while Ferrero continues investing in manufacturing, innovation and advertising.
What's next: Ahead of Sweets & Snacks, Ferrero previewed a wave of mashups and crossover products designed to extend brands across categories, including expansions of Nutella into cookies and ice cream.
- New products coming soon include Mother's x Nerds cookies, Keebler Chips Deluxe Crunch cookies and Nutella Peanut.
- Lindsey said many of the company's newer mashups and flavor extensions are coming out of Ferrero's Chicago R&D labs, which opened in 2023.
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