Nutella Is Hiring Taste Testers, Or "Sensory Judges," To Get The Opinions Of Regular Consumers

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I'm pretty sure we've all taste-tested our fair share of Nutella concoctions before — in a crepe, atop a slice of cake, spread onto strawberries or bananas — it goes with countless things. Usually, the jar of chocolatey-hazelnut goodness is cracked open when you're hungry in the kitchen —but for a few dozen lucky people, it's about to become a lifestyle. According to The Local, The Ferrero Company (which we have to thank for making Nutella) is looking for non-professionals to get on board and taste test their delicious products — essentially, a Nutella taste tester. The ultimate dream job has arrived.

Ferrero's no-experience taste testing opportunity is the first of its kind, and the new employees can look forward to tasting a variety of ingredients — including the chocolate and hazelnut that the iconic Nutella Spread is made of. The dreaminess of the job doesn't even end there. The taste-tester opening is based in Italy, and was originally advertised through Italian employment agency company Openjobmetis. Officially called "sensory judges," the taste testers will be required to work two days a week at the Ferrero headquarters in Alba, a charming town in Piedmont, Italy. I mean, come on. Imagine spending your days romping through the gorgeous cobblestone streets in a small Italian city, eating homemade pasta on the daily, and then riding your Vespa to your job where you eat Nutella for a living. This could be the premise of a rom-com.


Ferrero's research and development company, Soremartec Italia srl, is looking for 60 people to fill the taste testing positions. The Local reports that such an opportunity has only been offered to internal employees of Ferrero in the past, so this is definitely not something to pass up on (if you coincidentally find yourself in Italy looking for employment anytime soon). The company wants everyday consumers of Nutella (like most of us), who preferably don't have a lot of professional experience in food or nutrition. Basically, the only requirements are that you should enjoy chocolatey products, not have allergies, and be excited about the chance to taste test and give feedback.

The 60 chosen sensory judges will kick off their new positions at the end of September. From there, they'll spend three months in a paid training course. According to the job listing (which is in Italian and required a bit of translating), this period will be used to help to educate taste testers' sense of smell and taste and improve their ability to express their opinions of the semi-finished products they're tasting. Essentially, they need to learn all the appropriate culinary lingo that goes with the job and will work with professionals to refine and further understand their sensory skills. Eventually, two official taste testing panels will be formed out of 20 of the original applicants who will then be able to take on a more involved role.

If you find yourself in Italy anytime soon, you might just be able to score the gig of a lifetime. For the rest of us, we can fill the void by slathering some Nutella on toast at home while watching Under The Tuscan Sun.