Ferrero to Double U.S. Sales to $20 Billion in Sweets Push

Ferrero will spend $50 million in 2027 — double its 2026 figure — to promote its U.S. portfolio at sporting events, including new Kinder Bueno and Nutella ads debuting at the Super Bowl, as it aims to nearly double U.S. sales to $20 billion within the next decade.

The Italian confectionery company, which entered the U.S. market in 1969, said its total U.S. sales have surged from $300 million in 2017 to more than $11 billion last year. That figure, which includes the Ferrara, Wells and WK Kellogg units, roughly matches the size of Reese's maker Hershey.

"It may sound unrealistic or arrogant, but our goal is to be the largest and the best sweet package food company in the U.S.," said Michael Lindsey, president and chief business officer for Ferrero North America. "We're not quite there yet. We're entering that powerhouse territory."

How did Ferrero build its U.S. portfolio?

Since entering the U.S., Luxembourg-based Ferrero built its presence around three icons: Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread, Ferrero Rocher and Tic Tacs. Under chairman Giovanni Ferrero, the company has spent more than $8 billion on acquisitions over the past decade to enter new sweets categories.

Its U.S. business now spans:

• Keebler cookies
• Halo Top ice cream
• Rice Krispies cereal
• Power Crunch protein bars

Lindsey said many consumers and retailers still do not grasp Ferrero's size or portfolio scope after the acquisition spree. Keebler, he said, is now the fastest-growing cookie brand in the U.S. by a "reasonable margin." Kinder Bueno is the top chocolate brand in the world by sales.

What does the scale buy Ferrero?

Lindsey said the company's scale creates benefits across its supply chain, letting it work more closely with retailers and suppliers and gain sharper consumer insight. Ferrero also has invested billions of dollars in U.S. infrastructure, including an R&D lab and plants.

"We are now at a scale across the ecosystem that is equal to most of the very large competitors that we compete against, and it really all happened in the last, call it seven, eight years," Lindsey said.

What new products are rolling out?

Ferrero announced several innovations this week across both legacy brands and acquired assets:

• Nutella expanding into frozen waffles
• Tic Tac Two, a sugar-free extension popular in Europe, launching in the U.S. in Raspberry & Lemon and Spearmint Cool & Mild
• A Marvel Superheroes partnership on limited-edition flavors, starting with Butterfinger Green Apple Smash and Crunch Infinity Chocolate, a bar featuring cocoa crisp rice

Lindsey said Ferrero's U.S. investment, combined with insight from acquisitions, made these launches possible. "No one cares about how big we are," he said. "What's important is the scale that we can bring and the capability we can bring to the market because of the resources we have at our disposal, which now are significant."

If Ferrero keeps its current pace, Hershey and Mars will face a competitor within a decade that has set $20 billion in U.S. sales — nearly double its current base — as an explicit target.