It’s rare when both a product and its packaging are deserving of attention. But that’s exactly the case when it comes to Ferrero Rocher. A layered ball of rolled chocolate and hazelnuts, wrapped in gold foil and sitting proudly in a custom-shaped see-through plastic container? Not a common sight, to be sure.
Introduced to Europe in 1982, the Ferrero Rocher is a complex confection that’s seen as a luxury product worthy of gifting during major holidays. In fact, over 60% of Ferrero Rochers are sold during the last three months of the calendar year.
Created in Italy by Michele Ferrero, it’s said he named the chocolate after a sacred grotto in Lourdes, the Rocher de Massabielle. Rocher means rock or boulder in French, and well, you can guess where Ferrero came from. A hazelnut (the rock) is suspended in gianduja, an Italian chocolate spread containing 30% hazelnut paste. It’s encased in what becomes a wafer sphere, then coated in chocolate, chopped hazelnuts, and a coating of chocolate again.
We weren’t kidding when we said it was complex. Delicious, too. You should try some.
That brings us to its iconic packaging. Heavily featuring gold in all its packaging choices, Ferrero Rocher has succeeded in creating something luxurious, high-end and unforgettable. Let’s start with the container everyone sees most often.
Original Ferrero Rocher
There’s clearly a lot of pride in the presentation of Ferrero Rocher. Each chocolate is wrapped in gold foil, placed in a fluted paper cup and topped off with a label. Then they’re arranged and stacked in a clear carrying case that features rounded edges—ensuring they can be viewed from any angle. Then a gold-coloured band is wrapped around the case, keeping it closed while also driving home just how luxurious and spectacular the chocolate is.
Did you know the gold foil and paper packaging can make up to 40% of a Ferrero Rocher’s packaging weight? That’s quite the commitment to style and appearance.
By the way, that clear case is instantly recognizable, even without any chocolate sitting in it. How many times have you found that clear case sitting on someone’s desk or dresser, used as simple yet showy storage for something? More than once, we’d wager.
Since its inception, the standard case has been altered to contain anywhere from 16 pieces all the way up to a sweet tooth-obliterating 48-piece party box. Yeah, we want one.
Grand Ferrero Rocher
Though the year-end holidays are Ferrero Rocher’s biggest season, they’re also highly sought after during both romantic and chocolate-centric events. Taking advantage of those spikes in attention, the Grand Ferrero Rocher was brought to market.
As you can see in the picture above, it’s an oversized and hollowed out Ferrero Rocher chocolate with two to four individual Ferrero Rochers inside. Meant as both a gesture of love and an opportunity for sharing, they’re popular during Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas. Wrapped in the same gold foil and paper cup as the smaller chocolates, the Grand Ferrero Rocher is finished off with an appropriately coloured and patterned ribbon. Gorgeous.
Ferrero Rocher Cone
You know what time of year this packaging makes its appearance, don’t you?
Ferrero Rocher tends to favour clear packaging in its presentation, knowing that the foil-wrapped chocolate will speak for (and sell) itself. But there’s still a flair for the dramatic in everything it does, and the Ferrero Rocher Cone is no exception.
Designed to mimic a Christmas tree, and meant for parties and large gatherings, the Cone is quite impossible to miss. Even the smallest version—on the left in the picture above—boasts 17 pieces and can hold its own on a table of rich desserts. But perhaps the ultimate flex is the largest version available: a 96-piece Cone that would make even Keanu Reeves once again willing to say, “whoa.”
Ferrero Rocher Tree & Star Boxes
It seems like gold packaging and clear packaging are opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to housing chocolate, doesn’t it? Yet it’s something that Ferrero Rocher handles quite brilliantly.
During the biggest holidays of the year, gold-coloured gift packaging arrives in stores. Whether it’s shaped like a tree, a star, a rabbit or a heart, Ferrero Rocher nails its iconic packaging looks. Never in need of wrapping, its recipient always knows what they’re getting and it never fails to excite them.
Perhaps our favourite Ferrero Rocher gift offering is the one that comes in the shape of a Christmas ornament. Complete with a loop of ribbon, it can be hung on a tree to outshine all the ornaments around it and tease anyone that looks upon it.
What do you think is worthy of the iconic packaging mantle? Be sure to let us know.
