The Piera, Pietro and Giovanni Ferrero Foundation was set up in 1983 as the “Ferrero Social Initiative”; since 1991, it has been recognised by the Ministry of the Interior as a Foundation and falls into the category of socially useful non-profit organisations (ONLUS). Presided over by Maria Franca Ferrero, the Foundation embodies the idea of Pietro’s son Cavaliere del Lavoro Michele Ferrero who, in 1946, worked together with his brother Giovanni to found the confectionery company that has become a multinational corporation.

The “family” style of the Ferrero company is still a fundamental characteristic easily seen in its production operations. This approach includes a sense of social responsibility at both a global level and in individual employment relations, despite the considerable size that the company has reached. From the very beginning, this sense of “family” has been a widespread sentiment amongst the workers who, with their dedication and in a climate of mutual trust, have contributed to the success of the Ferrero brand. In over sixty years, several generations of people have worked for Ferrero, which can boast experience of long-term employment like few other companies.

Alongside Michele Ferrero were people who contributed towards the growth of the company, generously giving material and intellectual resources and demonstrating a support and a team spirit that went well beyond formal working relationships. Michele was keen to ensure these people that when they reached pension age, they would have the opportunity to remain active, valuable and astute regarding their own lives and those of others, in an environmental and emotional framework of security and solidarity.

In 1972, the Ferrero family handed out the first company long-service awards to all employees who had worked for the company for 25 consecutive years – the first 25 years of the Ferrero story. They were the first “Ferrero Seniors”, a community of individuals who now find their most useful, gratifying and fulfilling purpose in the Piera, Pietro and Giovanni Ferrero Foundation.

The idea of the Foundation and the sense of its work can be found in its motto, Work Create Donate, which is also featured on the Foundation’s logo. The three verbs identify three facets of individuals who are fully integrated in social life: people who work with dignity, talent and responsibility to build new situations, not as ends in themselves, but aiming to increase the overall well-being of the community.

This responsible participation in communal life can be achieved through willingly and freely gifting skills, experience, time and projects. The Foundation itself is a gift through which the Ferrero Family has given shape to the respect and gratitude it holds for those who have contributed to the growth of the company and shared its values.

The Foundation does not validate the past alone:it is also a moral investment in the future of individuals, based on the conviction that they need to remain active and creative in unprecedented and gratifying ways, even at an advanced age. It belies an image of withdrawal and marginalisation associated with old age that still prevails in industrialised societies today.

The gift of the Foundation extends outside the Ferrero Seniors Community through its cultural efforts that run parallel and complementary to its social project.