Michele Ferrero, an Italian chocolatier and devout Catholic, was known for his devotion to Our Lady. During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of his company, he said: “The success of Ferrero we owe to Our Lady of Lourdes; without her we can do little.”
When Ferrero introduced the treats in 1982, it is believed that he named them “Rocher” after the craggy rock grotto, called the Rocher de Massabielle, that marks the place where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France. A place that had a special meaning for Ferrero, who died on Valentine’s Day in 2015 at the age of 89.