Giovanni Ferrero has expanded his family's company beyond brands like Nutella and built a global powerhouse—especially through big acquisitions in the U.S.

Ferrero has been targeting the U.S. for acquisitions to grow geographically and expand by category. It bought Wells Enterprises, the maker of Blue Bunny and other ice-cream brands, and before that struck a $2.8 billion deal to acquire Nestlé’s U.S. chocolate business.