Now, with advances in reproduction and the continuing “sting” of diets in the U.S. In the United States and around the world, the growing popularity of hazelnuts among both farmers and consumers has made them an emblem of the innovation that is taking place in modern American food and agriculture. Demand for hazelnuts is expected to grow in the U.S. In the U.S.
and abroad, it will remain strong, and the consolidated U.S. hazelnut industry appears to be taking shape to match that growth. Native to Eastern and Southern Europe, hazel trees spread rapidly north and east after the end of the last ice age, and evidence of their importance to humans has since been found all over the world. Since Ferrero buys about a third of the Turkish hazelnut harvest every year, this causes them a double headache: they cannot guarantee that their supply chains are traceable to the producer level and, if they cannot do so, it will be impossible to ensure that child labor is avoided and, at the same time, maintain the same production base.
Although they are mainly known as the key ingredient in the popular Nutella snack cream, hazelnuts have a long history of diverse uses in human nutrition that continues to evolve to this day. These methods are used at each of FarmTogether's Hazelnut Orchard properties, including the currently open interstate hazelnut orchard. All this energy that drives market growth has also encouraged different types of farmers to seek hazelnuts as a means of diversification and to supplement agricultural incomes. In addition to this growth in domestic production, the Hazelnut Marketing Board is doing everything possible to make this excellent ingredient known to both consumers and the restaurant and food service industries.
Due to the high interest of farmers, consumers, industry and research leaders and government, the cultivation of hazelnuts in the U.S. The U.S. is already growing at a rapid pace and will continue to do so as the hazelnut market materializes. Like many tree and shrub crops, hazelnuts don't start producing a crop until at least 2-3 years after planting and usually don't reach full production until 5 years of age.
Next, we'll look at some key trends in hazelnut production and marketing to show why land planted in hazelnut orchards represents such an attractive opportunity for U.S. investors in agricultural land. Remains of hazelnut shells have been found in archaeological research at Stone Age sites in what is now the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia, and mentions of hazelnuts have even been found in religious texts from ancient civilizations as far away as China. In fact, the Hazelnut Marketing Board believes that a large part of the demand for exported American hazelnuts could come from China, India, Japan and South Korea, where hazelnuts are already highly valued as Christmas snacks and treats.
These “hybrid hazelnuts” are behind the recent boom in the American hazelnut industry, as they not only offer more economically attractive production options for farmers in the Willamette Valley, but they also have enormous potential for expansion in the rest of the U.S. UU. Consumer interest in hazelnuts also seems to stem both from desserts and confectionery products and from considering them a source of good nutritional benefits.
