Francesco Rivella, the man who contributed to the invention of Nutella and some of Ferrero's most iconic confectionery products, has died at 97. Born in Barbaresco, in the province of Cuneo, he passed away on February 14, on the 10th anniversary of the death of Michele Ferrero, whose right-hand man and close collaborator he was. Rivella and Ferrero's careers were intertwined for decades: the former, an expert chemist, studied and selected the best raw materials to develop new products; the latter, a visionary executive, guided the company to international success. Joining Ferrero in 1952, at just 25 years old and fresh from his bromatological chemistry degree, Rivella devoted himself to research in the so-called "Chemistry Room", a laboratory crucial to the company's innovation. His contribution was decisive in transforming a small Piedmontese company into a global confectionery giant. In the book "Mondo Nutella" by Gigi Padovani, Rivella is remembered for his trips with Michele Ferrero to Northern European countries in the 1950s. Together they analyzed confectionery products with the aim not of copying them but of improving them, as in the case of Ducalba fondant bars. "They were buying chocolates, cremini, bars, snacks: they were analyzing them, not to copy them, but to make them better. They wanted to get out of substitutes and roast their own cocoa," Padovani writes. With his passing, a silent but key player in the Italian confectionery industry also goes away.