Ferrero Rocher was introduced in 1982 by the Italian chocolatier Michele Ferrero, whose other products include Nutella, Kinder treats and Tic Tacs. Ferrero is said to be a devout Catholic, known for his strong devotion to 'Our Lady'. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of his company, he said: "The success of Ferrero we owe to Our Lady of Lourdes; without her we can do little." He was said to have made an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, taking his top manager. He also organized a visit to the shrine for his employees, and had a statue of the Virgin Mary placed in each of his company's fourteen production facilities around the world. He died on St. Valentine's Day in 2015, at the age of 89.
The grotto where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to St. Bernadette is known as the Rocher de Massabielle. Why did Senor Ferrero choose to use the prosaic word 'Rocher' (which is simply French for 'rock'), rather than the more exotic–sounding 'Massabielle'? Presumably because he thought no one would be able to pronounce, or even remember, the latter.
This note relies on information from Aleteia.org – a site that "offers a Christian vision of the world by providing general and religious content that is free from ideological influences." It was cited by Wikipedia.
© Haydn Thompson 2019