Ferrero Küsschen (meaning little kisses) are

Ferrero Ferrero may refer to: * Ferrero (surname), a surname * Ferrero (company), an Italian manufacturer of chocolate * Ferrero Bay, a body of water between King Peninsula and Canisteo Peninsula, Antarctica * Ferrero–Washington theorem, a result in alge ...

company chocolates that consist of a whole roasted

hazelnut The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus '' Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according to ...

filled with hazelnut cream including vegetable oil and covered in

milk chocolate Milk chocolate is a form of solid chocolate containing Chocolate liquor, cocoa, sugar and milk. It is the most consumed types of chocolate, type of chocolate, and is used in a wide diversity of chocolate bar, bars, tablets and other confectione ...

Ingredients

The chocolate consists of milk chocolate 31% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, butter oil, emulsifier

lecithin Lecithin ( ; from the Ancient Greek "yolk") is a generic term to designate any group of yellow-brownish fatty substances occurring in animal and plant tissues which are amphiphilic – they attract both water and fatty substances (and so ar ...

(soy),

vanillin Vanillin is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a phenolic aldehyde. Its functional groups include aldehyde, hydroxyl, and ether. It is the primary component of the ethanolic extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin ...

), hazelnut (27%),

dark chocolate Dark chocolate is a form of chocolate made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. It has a higher cocoa percentage than white chocolate, milk chocolate, and semisweet chocolate. Dark chocolate is valued for claimed—though unsupported— ...

15% (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, emulsifier lecithin (soy), vanillin),

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

, protein enriched

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...

powder, low fat cocoa and

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

Sales

Ferrero Küsschen were launched in 1968. The box consists of 5 or 32 pieces. Gift boxes come with 14 or 20 chocolate packets. Earlier Ferrero used to vend the same chocolates under the name Mon Chéri in the USA. In Germany and in Italy chocolates called

Mon Chéri is an internationally known brand name for a chocolate praline produced by the Italian Ferrero company. The ''Mon Chéri'' is a single-wrapped combination consisting of a "heart" of cherry (18%) floating in a liqueur (13%) and contained in a ...

are still sold, but the candy is very different: instead of a hazelnut they are filled with a cherry.

Controversy

Ferrero pulled an

advertising campaign An advertising campaign or marketing campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ide ...

in Germany in 2013 for a white chocolate version of Ferrero Küsschen that featured the slogan "Germany votes White". Ferrero, an Italian brand, withdrew the ads, which some claimed to be timed to coincide with the German political elections, after furious Germans compared them to propaganda for Germany's far right, anti-immigrant NPD party. The advert promoted the white Ferrero Küsschen, which had previously only been available seasonally in Germany. Created by ad giant M&C Saatchi, the ad featured a giant, talking chocolate box telling supporters at a rally: "We want white Ferrero Küsschen forever." The supporters held placards reading "Yes Weiss Can", meaning Yes White Can – a play on Barack Obama's famous campaign slogan "Yes We Can" – while a poster is unfurled reading "Germany Votes White". The advert provoked outrage on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

. "It is important for us to clearly stress that we are strictly against any form of xenophobia, right-extremism or racism," Ferrero said in a statement. "All of our assertions were purely about white chocolate – and without xenophobic intent. We regret that the commercial was misunderstood and the product messaging was otherwise construed." The ads, which appeared as Germany responded to rising refugee arrivals amid far right protests, are in contrast to the runaway success of Ferrero's 1990s ads for its Rocher chocolates, which featured a waiter toting a tray of chocolates around an ambassador's reception.

Advertising

Ferrero Kisses (Küsschen) are well known for their slogan: "Give a Küsschen to your friend!"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrero-Kusschen Candy Chocolate Ferrero SpA brands Italian confectionery Italian brands Hazelnut dishes