Ferrero Group increases its purchase of hazelnut from Oregon
The quality achieved by production in the region has led to the increasing purchase.
USA – Alba-based multinational company has doubled its purchase of Oregon hazelnuts over the last three years due to high-quality yield.
The company stated that its quest for flawlessness has led it to the orchards of Oregon, where it’s been buying volumes of hazelnuts for its Rochers and other products.
Over the past three years, Ferrero’s purchases of Oregon hazelnuts have doubled, satisfying all the company’s North American demand for the crop in 2025.
Marco Botta, Head of the Confectioner Ferrero Hazelnut Co, said, Not every hazelnut is worthy of the centre of a Ferrero Rocher candy, which is increasingly working in favour of Oregon’s farmers.
An inferior hazelnut will detract from the sensory experience of consuming a Rocher, so only the finest specimens are coated in a creamy filling, wafer shell, milk chocolate and chopped nuts.
Stefano Gagliasso, Ferrero’s head of agribusiness development, acknowledged that while Oregon is known for its higher hazelnut prices, this is not a challenge for the company. He attributed this to the state’s strong reputation for delivering premium-quality hazelnuts.
Ferrero invests in hazelnut farming with research grants
The news comes after the company expanded its investment in USA-grown hazelnuts with US$350,000 in research grants: US$180,000 to Oregon State University and US$170,000 to Rutgers University.
The grants, a part of Ferrero’s commitment to using high-quality, fresh ingredients, supported the universities’ collaborative efforts with local farmers, producers, and distributors to advance sustainability and efficiency in the industry.
Tommaso de Gregorio, Head of Ferrero’s Agri Competence Center, said, “Our mission is to master the hazelnut value chain from end-to-end to create and deliver value in service of customers, brands, and products,”
“This is particularly important in North America, where we have invested billions of dollars in growth and innovation over the past decade.”
Ferrero’s grant of US$180,000 supported multiple ongoing projects, including biological control of invasive species, diseases, and fungi and integrated weed management within orchards to reduce herbicides.
The US$170,000, donated to Rutgers over four years as part of a long-term disease study, would support the development of hazelnut varieties that can resist EFB through genetic improvement.
Thomas Molnar, an Associate Professor at the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, explained that his team was developing trees resistant to Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungal disease that severely hinders hazelnut production in New Jersey and across the East Coast.
He highlighted that Ferrero’s generous support would enable their program to expand hazelnut production in eastern North America and to provide a solution for combating this disease should it spread to other regions globally.
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