Nutella turns 50 years old this year and to celebrate, makers of the hazelnut spread kicked off its half-century anniversary by dispatching its official food truck on a cross-country tour. The treat-bearing truck will make a three-day stop in Miami at the Tropicana Flea Market from August 8 through August 10.
The Spread the Happy truck tour began with a party in New York City, partnering with Dominique Ansel who created the cronut. With each stop, the truck will give away free samples of region-specific food pairings as well as have a chance to get some free swag. Before hitting Miami, the truck visited Tampa and Orlando. Nutella will pair its spread with baguettes and oranges for its Florida stops.
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In addition to free Nutella-branded stuff, interactive games will be provided and brand managers Donny Loeber and Heather Tamara Munozwill will be on hand to answer questions.
According to Nutella, the truck tour is an extension of the Spread the Happy advertising campaign, which follows the journey of a single jar of Nutella as it is passed between breakfast tables, waffle trucks, and office employees, the message sent that there is an endless chain of people who share a common taste for Nutella.
Even though Nutella has been around for half a century, the spread was introduced to the American market 30 years ago and did not gain widespread interest until the last five years. Noah Szporn, category market director for Nutella, attributes its popularity to the spread's strong flavor profile of chocolate and hazelnut and brand advertising.
"Because of our advertising efforts people are very aware of the brand," Szporn told New Times. "They know the brand from European roots. It's almost like a badge of honor to be a Nutella buyer or Nutella user."
Those European roots have led to worldwide enthusiasm for the brand, with over 28 million "likes" on the company's Facebook page.
Though historically enjoyed as a breakfast item, Nutella believes the spread also is made for anytime snacking. "Internationally it is a breakfast item," Szporn says. "Dessert is not really its top usage. We encourage our consumers to not only eat it for breakfast but for other parts of the day as well."
The Nutella truck will be at the Tropicana Flea Market on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and both Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. After leaving Miami, the truck will make its way to Chicago and eventually conclude the tour in New Orleans in October.
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