This past month, a group of public relations students have been spreading the campus with information about the new chocolaty, hazelnut spread called Nutella.
The team which is made up of members of the Public Relations Student Society of America, is competing with about 40 other universities across the nation to create the best public relations campaign for Nutella. If the team places in the top three they will earn a trip to Somerset, New Jersey to present their campaign. The first place team receives national recognition and $2,500 for their school.
“I am pretty confident we’ll get in the top ten,” said Lindsey Breese who is one of the public relations students working on the Nutella campaign. Last year was the first time Bowling Green State University entered the competition, and they successfully placed in the top ten out of about 50 other schools.
Nutella is a popular spread in Europe, and it currently outsells all peanut butter brands combined. It can be used on bread, croissants, fruit and desserts. Many grocery stores including Kroger and Meijer in Bowling Green already carry Nutella. The public relations students are hoping the on-campus convenience stores will start carrying the product.
The history of Nutella began in Italy during the 1940s when Pietro Ferrer, a pastry maker created it. He mixed cocoa, toasted hazelnuts, cocoa butter and vegetable oils to create an economical spread of chocolate, which he called Pasta Giaduja. In 1949, he made the recipe creamier and more spreadable renaming it supercrema gianduja.
Children were able to get a taste of supercrema gianduja on a slice of bread for roughly a penny. This practice became so popular that Italian food stores started using it in a service they called The Smearing.
In 1964, supercreama gianduja was given the name Nutella, which originates from the work nut.
NUTTY SHREDDED WHEAT
INGREDIENTS
½ cup nutella
4 TBSP unsalted butter
¼ cup honey
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 TSP cinnamon
6 large shredded wheat biscuits, broken
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1 cup walnuts
1 cup golden raisins
DIRECTIONS
*Preheat oven to 300 degrees
* Boil nutella, butter brown sugar, cinnamon and water for 5 minutes
* Put remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour Nutella mixture over it, toss to coat completely
* Spread a thin layer on a greased sheet pan lined with foil
* Bake for 30 minutes or until carmelized
* Cool completely and break into pieces.
