Michele Ferrero is the owner of the eponymous chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

 maker Ferrero SpA

Ferrero SpA

Ferrero SpA is an Italian manufacturer of chocolate and other confectionery products, founded by confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1946 and based in Alba, Piedmont, Italy. The company achieved success headed by Pietro's son Michele Ferrero, then Michele's son Pietro , who oversaw global business...

, one of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

's largest with estimated 2007 sales of $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

6 billion

1000000000 (number)

1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....

.

Ferrero, who was born in Dogliani

Dogliani

Dogliani is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km southeast of Turin and about 35 km northeast of Cuneo....

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, is Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

's richest person, with a personal wealth of $18 billion, surpassing Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

 in March 2008.

Brands include Nutella

Nutella

Nutella is the brand name of a chocolate spread. Nutella, manufactured by the Italian company Ferrero, was introduced on the market in 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero spread released in 1944. Nutella is now sold in over 75 countries....

, Mon Chéri

Mon Chéri

Mon Chéri is an internationally known brand name of the Italian Ferrero company for a chocolate confectionery.The Mon Chéri is a single-wrapped combination, consisting of a "heart" of cherry, floating in a special liqueur and contained in a plain chocolate housing. Each Mon Chéri contains 46...

, Kinder Chocolate

Kinder Chocolate

Kinder Chocolate is a confectionery product of the Italian chocolate manufacturer Ferrero SpA; it is known in Germany as Kinderschokolade. The German offspring of Ferrero SpA, Ferrero oHG mbH, also formerly known as Assia GmbH, founded in 1956, introduced Kinderschokolade to the German market in...

, Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher is a spherical chocolate sweet made by Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA. Introduced in 1982, the chocolates consist of a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut cream and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. The sweets each contain 73...

, Tic Tacs and Kinder Eggs.

Since 1997, his sons, Giovanni Ferrero and Pietro Ferrero

Pietro Ferrero Jr.

Pietro Ferrero was a joint CEO of Italian confectionery company Ferrero SpA from 1997 until his death in April 2011....

 have led the company.