By Diane Huntrods, Ag Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University.

Updated April 2012.

Background
Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), or filberts, originated in the Mediterranean region from Turkey to Spain. They have been part of the human diet for 5,000 years. At various times during those years, the nuts were thought to cure everything from baldness to stomach aches.

Overview
Oregon grows 99 percent of the U.S. hazelnut crop. In 2011, the state's production jumped to 39,000 tons of hazelnuts, 39 percent more than the previous year. The value of the crop was $89.3 million, a 32 percent rise from 2010. (NASS 2012)

Turkey still dominates the hazelnut industry, generally producing about 80 percent of the world's total. The European Union ranks second, producing about 13 percent, and the United States third, producing about 7 percent (FAS 2011).

Production
In the United States, approximately 600 growers raise hazelnuts in Oregon's Willamette Valley, which provides adequate chill hours but rarely experiences extremely cold temperatures. The moderate climate enables the blossoms, which open in the winter, to mature into nuts.

The most common variety grown for shelled almonds in Oregon is the Barcelona, which does not lose its skin as readily as others, and the Ennis, which is mainly grown for unshelled use. In 2008 the Barcelona accounted for 61 percent of all hazelnut trees in Oregon and the Ennis for 12 percent. Lewis is another common variety, accounting for nearly 10 percent of all hazelnut trees in the state. (Hazelnut Tree Report)

Hazelnuts are harvested from late August through October. After being collected, the nuts are delivered to a processing facility where they are cleaned and dried. Processors air dry the nuts, reducing their moisture level to 4 to 6 percent. The shells of the nut are then cracked in the sheller, and the nutmeats are separated from the shells and sorted by size and grade. Most processors dry roast the nuts in an oven, and most hazelnuts are lightly roasted to provide flavor. The ice cream industry, however, uses a dark roast to add a rich flavor. Cooling is the last step in the roasting process. After being packaged, the hazelnuts are placed in a cool, dry storage area.

Americans eat an average of less than 1 ounce of hazelnuts each year. In comparison, the Swiss consume more than 4.4 pounds per person and Germans consume more than 2 pounds.

Value-added Products
In Europe hazelnuts are often featured in chocolate truffles or ground into meal and used as flour in cakes, cookies and breads. Nutella, a chocolate-hazelnut spread, is as popular there as peanut butter is here.

As sales of European hazelnut products rise, U.S. food companies are introducing snack mixes and salad dressings containing hazelnuts. Nutella is now available at most major grocery chains.

Hazelnuts are sold unshelled, as whole, diced, sliced or ground kernels, as paste or as oil. The highest quality nuts, which command the highest prices, are sold unshelled. The most important market for these nuts is the snack food industry. In 2011 more than 20,000 tons of unshelled U.S. hazelnuts were sold (NASS 2012).

The most popular use for shelled hazelnuts is in chocolate and nut butter products. Diced, ground and paste hazelnuts are used in baked goods and in ice cream. The oil is used in high-end restaurants and at-home cooking. In 2011 nearly 8,000 tons of shelled U.S. hazelnuts were sold (NASS 2012).

Nutritional Value
Hazelnuts have one of the lowest percentages of saturated fats among tree nuts and one of the highest percentages of monounsaturated fats. They are cholesterol free and a good source of dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, copper, thiamine, vitamin B6 and vitamin E, folate and antioxidants.

In 2003 the Food and Drug Administration approved the placement of the following qualified health claim on nuts and nut containing foods, acknowledging that they reduced the risk of coronary heart disease: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."

Exports/Imports
In 2011 the United States exported nearly 18.5 metric tons (MT) of hazelnuts, down 20 percent from 2010. The two largest markets for the hazelnuts were Hong Kong (11,590 MT) and Vietnam (2,268 MT). Hazelnut exports to Hong Kong increased, while hazelnut exports to Vietnam decreased.  (FAS 2011)

Although domestic production inversely affects imports, U.S. imports of hazelnuts are generally increasing. In 2011 hazelnut imports rose to more than 4,000 MT, a 6 percent rise from the previous year. More than 70 percent of the imports came from Turkey.  (FAS 2011)

Outlook
Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB), a fungal disease that eventually kills the tree, continues to limit production in infected orchards. Producers are spending thousands of dollars pruning their infected trees or replanting their orchards with blight-resistant trees. In the past decade, Oregon has lost more than 1,600 acres to the blight.

Sources
Fruit and Tree Nuts, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA.

Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA, 2011.

Hazelnut Crop Report, Oregon Field Office, National Ag Statistical Service (NASS), USDA, 2011.

Hazelnut or Filbert—Two Names for the Same Nut, Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2007.

Hazelnut Tree Report, Oregon Field Office, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2008..

Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts, NASS, USDA, 2012.

Nuts, U.S. per capita food availability, ERS, USDA, 2008.

Tree Nuts: World Markets & Trade, FAS, USDA, 2011.

Prepared March 2008 and updated April 2012.