Ferrero is one of the world's foremost brands, with its products commanding a level of soft power which is seldom paralleled.  With aportfolio that includes world-class products such as Nutella, the Kinder line, Ferrero Rocher and Tic Tac, it is only natural to be intrigued by how it become such a global power. Starting form a family-run confectionery in the small Piedmontese town of Alba, in the Italian 'dopoguerra', Ferrero quickly became a global player. 

The Malta Independentasked Briano Olivares, who is responsible for Strategic Research and Development for the Ferrero Group, and what, in his opinion, was the secret to this run-away success. "I would say there is not a single secret, but a combination of a few key elements," Olivares says. "In the company we have a motto that goes 'product is at the centre of the table' and we really mean it. Every meeting or presentation, no matter whether it is about the product itself or financials or any other topic, will start with a tasting session."

Olivares said that every product manager knows everything about their product by heart, be it the recipe, every single ingredient it contained, where it was produced, when and how. "This competence is our most powerful weapon," he claims confidently.

He also mentions that a healthy obsession for detail and quality is also instrumental in Ferrero's success. "This is one of our trademarks. It is an overall philosophy that applies to every single aspect of the business and department in the company, from raw materials selection and processing, packaging development and consumer understanding-because no matter how good you are at something, there is always room to make things better, and we strive for perfection," he claims.

Olivares also refers to another mantra in the Ferrero culture - that the consumer is ultimately considered to be the company's CEO. "This is yet another motto that truly permeates our way of working. Ferrero has achieved worldwide recognition as one of the leading companies in confectionary, but we remain humble because we know that ultimately there is only one person who will judge our efforts, and that is the consumer. So we must make sure we respect them, we understand their needs better than our competitors, and we fulfil their expectations every single day."

Interested in how the company has successfully operated as a family business, as well as involving non-family members early on in their story, this newspaper asks how important this strategic development was. Olivares underlines the importance of the family element within the company, saying that the people who were hired from outside the family from the start, have always felt a sense of belonging and a sense of being part of a family. "This sense of belonging went way beyond the average professional environment, and made them want to go the extra mile for the company," he says. "That, combined with Michele Ferrero's heritage and our Executive Chairman Giovanni Ferrero's vision and leadership have set the foundations for a truly unique company"

Responsible for Strategic Research and Development for the Ferrero Group, Olivares also notes the importance of innovation for a company like Ferrero in order to maintain its global status and develop it further in today's competitive world. "Innovation is in our DNA," he declares. "We have always developed and launched products that were way ahead of their times - and that's what still makes them relevant today." This does not put Olivares mind at ease though. "There is always room for improvement, so we now have a pipeline which is richer than it's ever been and, based on the test results we have achieved, we are confident that - no matter how good the times have been for us so far - the best is yet to come," henoted.

Branding also plays an important part of the equation for success for the global player. "Consumers' trust these days is becoming more and more key to successful R&D," he says. "From this standpoint we at Ferrero are in a lucky position because we have in our portfolio several iconic love brands that consumers feel close to and engaged with.So the stronger the bond with the consumers, the healthier the Brand, the easier it is to launch new products under the same umbrella: I think the success of our last launch, Kinder Cards, is a self-explaining testament to this virtuous cycle," he claims.

Focusing on family-run businesses, Olivares has some words of encouragement for families who are looking to developing their business.  Quoting the company's Executive Chairman Giovanni Ferrero's vision, he says 'think big'. "Such a vision can infact only be fully implemented in a family-owned business, where financial results are not the indicators by which ideas are measured and evaluated.Intuition, courage, entrepreneurial approach belong only to a family, so I would suggest to develop these skills, because being a good entrepreneur takes more than just being a good manager" Olivares concludes.

Mr Olivares will be expanding further on Ferrero's success and how it became one of the world's foremost family businesses at a conference entitled "A Family Affair - Safeguarding Malta and Europe's Beating Heart", organised by the Malta Chamber, on 1st October. 

He will be joined by Buffa Founder Paolo Buffa, and Grimaldi Lines Director Eugenio Grimaldi. Leading Maltese entrepreneurs Joseph Zammit Tabona from Infinitely Xara, Denise Xuereb from AX Group and Benjamin TaboneGrech from Engel &Völkers Sara Grech,will also address the conference about family businesses.