There's a Logical Reason Why the Letters in the Nutella Label Aren't All the Same Color

At some point in the early 2000s, Nutella had a resurgence in popularity in the United States. Despite the hazelnut spread coming to the U.S. in the 80s, it was around the early aughts that people rediscovered it. And even then, they were wondering why the 'n' in Nutella is black while the rest of the letters on the label are red.

The same question about Nutella comes and goes every couple of years, depending on who asks it and where they share the question. And, it turns out, there is an answer for why the 'n' is a different color in the Nutella name. Now, it's a design choice that customers look for when they search for the jar at the grocery store. But was it always meant to look that way?

According to Logos-World, the reason behind why the 'n' in Nutella is black and not red like the rest of the letters has everything to do with how people see the spread, which is under the Ferrero brand, and originated in Italy. Originally called Giandujot, Nutella gained its now-famous and permanent name in 1964.

Although the font size might have changed a bit over the years, the coloring in the Nutella label has remained the same. Logos-World reported that Ferrero made the 'n' black so that the product could stand out on the grocery store shelf. If shoppers could look for that bold black letter, which is more easily noticeable, then they could find a jar of Nutella.

The Ferrero website does offer insight into the history of Nutella. But there is no mention of why the letters are a different color and why the 'n' is bold and black and stands out among the other letters in the name. But that could be because, like Logos-World reported, the logo was designed to simply stand out, which is the case for most labels.

Over the years, Nutella has come in various sizes. And, although the plastic jar is the most common in the U.S., special glass jars of the spread are rolled out during the holidays. There are even Nutella candies, cookies, and an ice cream flavor. And yes, they all sport that iconic label with the black 'n' in Nutella.

And in 2024, a video featuring a jar of pink Nutella went viral. A U.K. snack account on Instagram shared a video of the jar, with a caption that said, "Pink Raspberry Nutella. Imagine this! A thick white chocolate hazelnut spread, with rich raspberry flavour filling your pallet. To add to that you have the vibrant pink colour!"

But, the caption added, the pink Nutella was totally fake and was made just to troll viewers. It still got some people excited for another version of the famous hazelnut spread. Though for most, nothing can ever beat the iconic original recipe.