There is actually a reason why the ‘N’ is black in the Nutella logo but the rest is red

Every month, a new post goes viral on Twitter asking why the “N” in the Nutella logo is black, and it turns out, there is actually a reason. So, here’s a deep dive into the history of everyone’s favourite spread.

The posts have been circling social media ever since the guy who created the chocolate hazelnut spread as we know and love it, Francesco Rivella, died last year in 2025, and usually say something like: “NOOOOOOOO I WANTED TO ASK HIM WHY THE N IS BLACK.”

It was Michele Ferrero who owned the company, but Francesco Rivella was his right-hand man, and the one who developed the current formula for Nutella. So, what’s the lore behind the logo?

The whole word “Nutella” is written in red apart from the “N”, which is black, and it seems like a bit of an odd design choice. But it all comes down to legal reasons. Here’s a little Nutella history lesson for you.

NOOOOOOOO I WANTED TO ASK HIM WHY THE N IS BLACK https://t.co/onLBi80t0D

— 𝗞lark (@KnightClawk) May 14, 2026

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Created in 1946, Nutella was originally called Pasta Gianduja and came as a thick, solid block. Then, it was turned into a creamy, more easily spreadable version called Supercrema in 1951. In 1965, Ferrero decided to change the name of the chocolate hazelnut spread to Nutella, turning it into the product that’s known and loved around the world today.

They made the “N” in the logo black to avoid trademark issues. Basically, there was already a trademark in place for another brand called Nutella with an all-red logo. So to avoid any confusion or legal issues, Fererro decided to make the first letter black and the rest of the word red.

But wait, there was another Nutella that already existed? Well, yes. But it’s not a rare word. The “nut” is for hazelnut, and “ella” is a common Italian suffix that roughly translates to “sweet nut”. So, Nutella could be used for any food product that was sweet and contained nuts.

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Featured image credit: Twitter