Gitnux/Report 2026

Hazelnut Industry Statistics

Turkey grows 67% of the world hazelnuts, yet global prices average $4.50/kg—see the key numbers shaping today’s hazelnut industry.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Hazelnut Industry Statistics
Lars EriksenWritten by Lars Eriksen·Edited by Rachel Svensson·Fact-checked by Katherine Brennan
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The hazelnut industry at a glance

The hazelnut industry remains highly concentrated in Türkiye, which is forecast to produce 790,000 metric tons in 2026/27, while the global market is projected to reach $21.69 billion by 2034.

$10.21B[80]
Global market size, 2025
8.76%[80]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2034
790,000 MT[79]
Türkiye production forecast, 2026/27
59.2%[81]
Türkiye share of 2024 output
Market size
The global hazelnut market was valued at $10.21 billion in 2025. Fortune Business Insights projects the market to reach $11.08 billion in 2026 and $21.69 billion by 2034.[80]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.76% from 2026 to 2034. A separate estimate from Grand View Research places the 2025–2030 CAGR at 8.9%, illustrating variation across market definitions and methodologies.[80][82]
Market share & regions
Türkiye accounted for 59.2% of global in-shell hazelnut production in 2024, followed by Italy at 9.9%, the United States at 7.2%, Azerbaijan at 6.2% and Chile at 6.0%. The concentration makes Black Sea weather and Turkish crop conditions important to global availability.[81]
Segmentation
Market reports segment hazelnuts by product type, including whole nuts and hazelnut paste, and by applications such as food and beverages and pharmaceuticals. Fortune Business Insights also distinguishes raw and processed products, conventional and organic production, and food and beverage, personal care and cosmetics, and nutraceutical applications.[82][80]
Key players & concentration
Production is concentrated among a small group of countries: Türkiye, Italy and the United States together represented 76.3% of 2024 global output based on reported country shares. Türkiye is also estimated by USDA to account for approximately 60%–75% of global production and 70%–75% of global exports.[81][79]
Pricing
For the 2026/27 season, Türkiye’s Turkish Grain Board purchase prices were set at 255 Turkish lira per kilogram for Giresun-quality hazelnuts and 250 lira per kilogram for Levant-quality hazelnuts. USDA reported these prices as approximately $5.31 and $5.21 per kilogram, respectively.[79]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Supply remains sensitive to weather, crop quality and pests. USDA reported that Türkiye’s 2025/26 production estimate was revised to 518,000 metric tons, while its 2026/27 forecast rose to 790,000 metric tons after recovery from 2025 frost damage; industry reporting also identifies rainfall, blank nuts and sorting costs as current risks.[79][83]
Consumer behavior & competition
Hazelnuts are increasingly positioned in products linked to healthier eating and premium snack consumption. Grand View Research identifies food and beverages as a major application and reports that North America held a 42.8% market revenue share in 2024.[82]
M&A
Loacker finalized the acquisition of the Fontana Chiusa estate on July 20, 2026, alongside an expansion of its Capranica processing hub in Italy’s hazelnut-growing regions. Earlier vertical integration by Ferrero included the acquisition of Türkiye-based Oltan Group, which operated in hazelnut procurement, processing and marketing.[84][85]
Regulation
European Union rules set maximum aflatoxin levels for tree nuts, including hazelnuts, at 2.0 micrograms per kilogram for aflatoxin B1 and 4.0 micrograms per kilogram for total aflatoxins in specified consumer and ingredient products. EU import controls also provide special conditions for foods from certain third countries where aflatoxin contamination risks apply.[86][87]
Latest news
The latest USDA outlook forecasts Türkiye’s 2026/27 hazelnut production at 790,000 metric tons, compared with a revised 518,000 metric tons for 2025/26. In September 2026, the Hazelnut Growers of Oregon reported that market estimates were converging toward approximately 700,000 metric tons for the Turkish crop because of poorer quality and blank nuts.[79][83]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Hazelnut Industry

The leading companies in the hazelnut industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 9, 2026 · Next review December 9, 2026

Verdict

Balsu Gıda and Ferrero are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 hazelnut ranking with an Overall score of 8.8 each.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in hazelnut processing

    Balsu Gıda

    TR

    Ranked #1 · 8.8 · Hazelnut processing

    Why we picked it: Its hazelnut processing lineup spans multiple formats, including paste and diced and roasted outputs.

    See in ranking ↓Visit balsugida.com ↗

  2. Leader in confectionery purchasing

    Ferrero

    IT

    Ranked #2 · 8.8 · Confectionery purchasing

    Why we picked it: Its sourcing focus links to reported multi-country traceability coverage and farm-level traceability figures.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ferrero.com ↗

  3. Leader in nuts distribution

    Importaco

    ES

    Ranked #3 · 8.8 · Nuts distribution

    Why we picked it: Its scale spans global manufacturing and distribution, supporting hazelnut supply across many markets.

    See in ranking ↓Visit importaco.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the hazelnut industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Balsu Gıda

Hazelnut processing · TR

8.8
2

Ferrero

Confectionery purchasing · IT

8.8
3

Importaco

Nuts distribution · ES

8.8
4

ofi

Hazelnut ingredients · SG

8.7
5

Nutkao

Hazelnut spreads · IT

8.5
6

Gürsoy

Integrated hazelnut processing, Türkiye · TR

8.0
7

Northwest Hazelnut Company

Oregon hazelnut growing and processing · US

8.0
8

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon

Oregon hazelnut grower cooperative and processor · US

7.9
9

Durak Hazelnuts

Hazelnut cracking, roasting and ingredients · TR

7.6
10

Cascade Foods

U.S. hazelnut processing and ingredients · US

7.3

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 9, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the hazelnut industry. In Hazelnut Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hazelnut-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology measurements span varietal identification accuracy (100%) and machine harvesting performance, while EU and U.S. adoption figures show uneven digital intensity.

AI in the hazelnut industry

  • 100% accuracy was reported for identifying unknown Turkish commercial hazelnut varieties using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics in a research study published in 2022.[1]
  • 10% lower production costs were reported by Treesury after using artificial-intelligence-supported decisions for irrigation, fertilizer and crop-protection management in Serbian hazelnut orchards, reported in 2025.[2]
  • 96% accuracy and 91% F1 score were achieved by a Random Forest model for mapping hazelnut areas in eight heterogeneous sites in Viterbo, Italy, using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data in 2023.[1]
  • 1.2 million data points were reportedly collected by Treesury from hazelnut orchards for training artificial-intelligence algorithms, according to its 2025 technology white paper.[2]
  • More than 4 tonnes per hectare was the average yield reported by Treesury for its AI-supported hazelnut orchards in Serbia, with some orchards reaching 5.5 tonnes per hectare, reported in 2025.[2]
  • The AUSHAZ program allocated AUD4.2 million to Australian hazelnut research, including artificial intelligence for flower phenology and crop-load management, beginning in 2024.[3]

Automation in the hazelnut industry

  • 92.54% to 96.03% harvesting efficiency was achieved by a mechanically operated hazelnut harvesting machine tested in Turkey in 2024.[4]
  • 18.90 to 67.18 kilograms per hour of kernel productivity was recorded for the pneumatic hazelnut harvester tested in Turkey in 2024.[4]
  • 70.349 to 105.647 labor hours per hectare were required by the pneumatic hazelnut harvester tested in Turkey in 2024.[4]
  • 0.2 to 0.4 hectares per hour was the reported harvesting rate for towed vacuum hazelnut harvesters with or without side pickers in the 2024 New South Wales hazelnut growers’ handbook.[5]
  • 6.349 to 9.839 machine-independent labor hours per hectare were required by the mechanically operated hazelnut harvester tested in Turkey in 2024.[4]
  • 124.83 to 1,322.08 kilograms per hour of kernel productivity was recorded for the mechanically operated hazelnut harvester tested in Turkey in 2024.[4]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[6]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[6]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[6]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[7]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[6]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[8]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[8]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[8]
  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[8]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[8]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[8]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[9]
  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[9]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[6]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[6]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[8]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[6]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[6]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Supply-chain traceability and verification dominate analytics, with Ferrero reporting 93.9% traceability to farm level for 2023/24.

Business intelligence in the hazelnut industry

  • 8 sourcing countries were covered by Ferrero’s hazelnut traceability system for the 2023/24 crop.[10]
  • 64 supply-chain actors in Türkiye and the United States were interviewed during Ferrero’s 2024 third-party traceability audits.[10]
  • 93.9% of Ferrero’s sourced hazelnuts were traceable to farm level for the 2023/24 crop through the company’s Sourcemap platform.[10]
  • 1 supplier dashboard was introduced by Ferrero to let tier-one suppliers monitor hazelnut traceability activity centrally.[10]
  • 55,000 farmers were represented in Ferrero’s hazelnut traceability system for the 2023/24 crop.[10]
  • 943 suppliers and growers were represented in Ferrero’s hazelnut traceability system for the 2023/24 crop.[10]

Data analytics in the hazelnut industry

  • 43 volatile compounds were identified as significant markers for monitoring hazelnut shelf life in a three-season industrial GC×GC study.[1]
  • 2 geographical origins and 2 storage conditions were compared in the multi-year industrial hazelnut shelf-life analytics study.[1]
  • 20% carbon dioxide was cited as an example controlled-atmosphere concentration for reducing hazelnut respiration and storage pests in Ontario.[11]
  • 3 consecutive harvest seasons were included in the industrial hazelnut volatilomics dataset used for shelf-life analytics.[1]
  • 2% oxygen was cited as an example controlled-atmosphere concentration for limiting oxidation and pest infestation in stored hazelnuts in Ontario.[11]
  • 3 roasting treatments—fresh, pan-roasted and hot-air-roasted—were compared in a 2026 study of hazelnut milk’s nutritional and sensory properties.[12]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[13]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[14]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[14]
  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[13]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[13]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[15]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[13]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[15]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[16]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[13]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[15]

KPIs in the hazelnut industry

  • 90% was the minimum country-level farmer traceability threshold Ferrero reported achieving for every sourcing country for the 2023/24 crop.[10]
  • 79.9% was Ferrero’s reported hazelnut traceability level for the 2020/21 crop.[10]
  • 57% was Ferrero’s reported hazelnut traceability level for the 2022/23 crop before the stock-amnesty adjustment described in the report.[10]
  • 97% was Ferrero’s hazelnut traceability-to-farmer figure highlighted in its 2025 sustainability-report summary.[10]
  • 93.9% was Ferrero’s reported global hazelnut traceability level for the 2023/24 crop after the report’s stated adjustment.[10]
  • 90.4% was Ferrero’s reported hazelnut traceability level for the 2021/22 crop after the company’s reporting adjustment.[10]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth forecasts sit beside production concentration metrics and buy-side integration signals, including Ferrero and Loacker transactions in 2026.

Growth in the hazelnut industry

  • 71% was the increase in global hazelnut production between 2014 and 2024, reaching approximately 1.2 million tonnes.[17]
  • 19 million USD in additional funding was announced by Raptor Ag for expansion initiatives involving Chilean and Italian hazelnut joint ventures.[18]
  • 350,000 USD was invested by Ferrero Hazelnut Company in 2024 research grants for U.S.-grown hazelnuts.[19]
  • 10.4% was the United States’ average annual hazelnut production growth from 2014 to 2024.[17]
  • 20.3% was Chile’s average annual hazelnut production growth from 2014 to 2024.[17]
  • 810 hectares of pecan orchards were planned by Raptor Ag by February 2024 alongside its hazelnut expansion initiatives.[18]

Differentiation in the hazelnut industry

  • 73,274 tonnes was Chile’s hazelnut production in 2024, representing 6.0% of global output in the cited dataset.[17]
  • 49.4% of global in-shell hazelnut exports were attributed to the United States in the cited sector snapshot.[20]
  • 87,820 tonnes was United States hazelnut production in 2024, representing 7.2% of global output in the cited dataset.[17]
  • 75,698 tonnes was Azerbaijan’s hazelnut production in 2024, representing 6.2% of global output in the cited dataset.[17]
  • 43,600 tonnes was Georgia’s hazelnut production in 2024, representing 3.6% of global output in the cited dataset.[17]
  • 120,520 tonnes was Italy’s hazelnut production in 2024, representing 9.9% of global output in the cited dataset.[17]

Mergers and acquisitions in the hazelnut industry

  • 53.02% was the controlling stake in The Hazelnut Factory targeted for acquisition by Bikaji Foods in 2024.[21]
  • 21 October 2024 was the closing date for White Bridge Investments’ sale of Nutkao Group to Teralys, a subsidiary of Al Mada.[22]
  • 1 hazelnut-focused acquisition was completed by Nutkao in 2021 when it acquired Belgian specialty-spread producer Boerinneke.[22]
  • 2 years was the expected completion period for Bikaji Foods’ acquisition of The Hazelnut Factory announced in 2024.[21]
  • 1 pistachio-sector acquisition was completed by Nutkao in 2021 when it acquired Italian market leader Pistì as part of its buy-and-build strategy.[22]
  • INR 131.01 crore was the planned strategic investment by Bikaji Foods to acquire The Hazelnut Factory in 2024.[21]

Strategic partnerships in the hazelnut industry

  • Since 2011, Nestlé has partnered with the Fair Labor Association on labor practices in Türkiye’s hazelnut sector.[23]
  • 3 Turkish Nestlé suppliers participate in interventions and collaborations addressing human-rights awareness among hazelnut workers and farmers.[23]
  • 170,000 USD of Ferrero’s 2024 research funding went to Rutgers University.[19]
  • 1 partnership between HALBA and the Coop Sustainability Fund supports North Macedonian organic hazelnut producer Nelkoski Organic Food.[24]
  • 180,000 USD of Ferrero’s 2024 research funding went to Oregon State University.[19]
  • 1 multi-year partnership was initiated by Loacker and Sammontana in 2022 for a Loacker-branded ice-cream range.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce reporting focuses on seasonal harvest realities and training, including 5.41% of respondents in 2024 digital priorities and origin training counts.

Hiring in the hazelnut industry

  • 5 to 25 days was the reported employment duration for harvest workers hired by an average Turkish hazelnut producer in 2016.[26]
  • 40,000 to 50,000 seasonal migrant agricultural workers reportedly traveled to Ordu, Sakarya and Düzce for the Turkish hazelnut harvest in 2019.[4]
  • 15 to 20 workers were employed on average by a Turkish hazelnut producer during the harvest season in field research conducted in 2016.[26]
  • 58 Oregon firms were counted in the tree-nut-farming industry in 2023, a category that includes hazelnut farms.[27]
  • 13.73 hired workers was the average labor requirement reported by Turkish hazelnut farmers in a study published in 2023.[28]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[29]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[30]
  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[31]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[29]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[32]
  • 35% of U.S. agriculture and food employers offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024.[30]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed in 2024, 36% reported having no work-at-home days per week.[32]
  • 21% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working fully remotely in 2024.[33]
  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[33]

Upskilling in the hazelnut industry

  • 2,023 hazelnut workers, including 1,409 women and 614 men, received origin training in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, in February 2024.[34]
  • More than 200 women working in ofi’s hazelnut-processing factories in Sakarya and Ordu received the same labor-rights, gender-equality, first-aid and healthcare training, reported in 2025.[35]
  • 1.5-hour seminars were delivered during each home visit in ofi’s Women on the Roads for Hazelnuts training program in Turkey, reported in 2025.[35]
  • 1,200 to 1,500 female seasonal migrant workers were targeted annually by ofi’s hazelnut training program in four Turkish sourcing regions, reported in 2025.[35]
  • More than 20,000 hazelnut farmers had participated in ofi sustainability programs since 2013, according to a 2025 Fair Labor Association assessment.[26]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[36]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[37]

DEI in the hazelnut industry

  • Up to 200 women hazelnut producers are targeted by a Türkiye project providing face-to-face training, community mobilization and gender-sensitive supply-chain practices, reported in 2026.[38]
  • 1,200 to 1,500 female seasonal migrant workers were targeted by ofi’s Women on the Roads for Hazelnuts program in four Turkish sourcing regions, reported in 2025.[35]
  • 1,409 women and 614 men participated in hazelnut-origin training in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, in February 2024, according to Sabırlar Fındık’s sustainability report.[34]
  • More than 200 women worked in ofi’s hazelnut-processing factories in Sakarya and Ordu when its women’s empowerment program was reported in 2025.[35]
  • 40 to 50 thousand seasonal migrant agricultural workers traveled to three Turkish provinces for hazelnut harvesting in 2019, a workforce involving migrant and minority communities.[4]

Change Management in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 37% reported expansions, renovations or added capacity as structural changes.[39]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Demand evidence varies by geography, with Nutella familiarity at 79% in a Midwest survey and health and environmental attributes influencing purchase intent.

Customer experience in the hazelnut industry

  • Less than 30% of surveyed Midwest consumers had eaten raw or roasted hazelnuts.[40]
  • 50% of surveyed Midwest consumers had tried hazelnut-flavored coffee creamer.[40]
  • 45% of Midwest consumers aged 18–29 wanted to try hazelnut milk, compared with 21% of consumers over 60.[40]
  • 79% of surveyed Midwest consumers had tried Nutella, making it the most widely experienced hazelnut product in the survey geography.[40]

Customer acquisition in the hazelnut industry

  • Nearly 24,000 post views were generated by the Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective’s Instagram and Facebook accounts during their first six months.[41]
  • More than 175,000 attendees were exposed to Oregon organic hazelnuts through consumer events in Oregon and California.[41]
  • Nearly 23,000 unique visitors reached the Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective website between June and November 2025 without paid advertising.[41]

Customer loyalty in the hazelnut industry

  • 54.16% of surveyed Catalonia consumers had bought Reus PDO hazelnuts in February 2020.[42]
  • 65.97% of surveyed Catalonia consumers had bought Reus PDO hazelnuts in November 2020.[42]
  • 54.17% of surveyed Catalonia consumers knew Reus PDO hazelnuts in February 2020.[42]
  • 72.16% of surveyed Catalonia consumers knew Reus PDO hazelnuts in November 2020.[42]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand signals in this dataset are anchored in Nutella media and influencer performance, including $105 million earned media value from influencer content in 2023.

Marketing in the hazelnut industry

  • 87% of 25 food-industry decision-makers surveyed in the United States had a positive opinion of hazelnuts.[43]
  • 60% of surveyed food-industry decision-makers projected increased hazelnut demand over the following five to ten years.[43]
  • 72% of surveyed Midwest consumers said environmental friendliness made them somewhat or much more likely to purchase Midwest hazelnuts.[40]
  • 40% of surveyed food-industry decision-makers said they were using more hazelnuts in their products than a few years earlier.[43]
  • 72% of surveyed Midwest consumers said health attributes made them somewhat or much more likely to purchase Midwest hazelnuts.[40]

Digital marketing in the hazelnut industry

  • 62% was the brand-attribution rate for the campaign’s unbranded out-of-home advertising.[44]
  • 3.4 times the brand’s 2019 social average was the engagement rate achieved by a Nutella campaign using social films.[44]
  • 85 million impressions were generated by the Nutella campaign’s media and earned-media activity.[44]
  • Nearly 20,000 influencer posts mentioned Nutella in 2023.[45]

Branding in the hazelnut industry

  • 54.17% of surveyed Catalonia consumers recognized the Reus PDO hazelnut designation in February 2020.[42]
  • 62% brand attribution was recorded for the Nutella campaign’s minimally branded out-of-home billboards.[44]
  • 72.16% of surveyed Catalonia consumers recognized the Reus PDO hazelnut designation in November 2020.[42]

Social media in the hazelnut industry

  • 3.38% was Nutella’s average influencer-content engagement rate in 2023.[45]
  • $105 million was Nutella’s reported earned media value from influencer content in 2023.[45]
  • More than 20,000 influencer posts mentioned Nutella in 2023.[45]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[45]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[45]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[45]
  • Food and drink influencer content involved 78,800 profiles globally in 2023, based on Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[45]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[45]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Named processing capacities and operational assumptions frame throughput, including Durak Hazelnuts’ stated 80,000 metric tons per year raw-kernel capacity.

Process optimization in the hazelnut industry

  • 30,000 metric tons per year is Durak Hazelnuts’ stated capacity for roasted hazelnut products.[46]
  • 80,000 metric tons per year is Durak Hazelnuts’ stated raw-kernel processing capacity across five Turkish facilities.[46]
  • 15,000 metric tons per year is ofi’s selected raw-kernel capacity across its Turkish hazelnut operations.[47]
  • 40,000 tons of in-shell hazelnuts, equivalent to 20,000 tons of kernels, is the processing capacity of Senocak’s facility in Turkey.[48]
  • 35,000 metric tons per year is the processed-hazelnut capacity of ofi’s Piraziz facility in Turkey, which produces roasted, diced and paste products.[47]

Operational efficiency in the hazelnut industry

  • About 1,000 Oregon farms were estimated by the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board to grow hazelnuts.[27]
  • 60,000 square meters is Durak Hazelnuts’ stated indoor production area across its Turkish facilities.[46]
  • 58 Oregon firms were counted in 2023 in the tree-nut-farming industry, which includes the state’s hazelnut farms.[27]
  • 300 operating days and 8 hours per day are the assumptions behind Fiskobirlik’s 33,420-ton annual kernel-processing capacity.[49]
  • 575 employees support ofi’s three Turkish hazelnut facilities, which include cracking and processed-kernel operations.[47]

Quality management in the hazelnut industry

  • 1,732 pounds per acre was the average actual yield reported for surveyed mature hazelnut acreage in western Oregon in 2017.[50]
  • Six hazelnut IPM consultants contributed yield and pest estimates covering 17,250 Oregon acres in the 2017 survey.[50]
  • 18 hazelnut cultivars were reported as being produced in Turkey in research on geographical and quality authentication.[1]
  • 64 hazelnut supply-chain actors were interviewed across Turkey and the United States for Ferrero’s 2024 traceability audits.[10]
  • 93.9% of Ferrero’s sourced hazelnuts were traceable in the 2023/24 crop, according to its Sourcemap-based reporting.[10]

Supply chain in the hazelnut industry

  • 310,000 metric tons was the projected upper level for Turkey’s hazelnut shipments in the 2024 reporting outlook.[51]
  • 1.64% was the increase in Turkey’s 2023/24 July–August hazelnut exports compared with 2022/23.[51]
  • 2,500 tons is Agrarco’s stated hazelnut storage capacity alongside its 7,000-ton kernel-processing facility in Azerbaijan.[52]
  • 303,458 metric tons of hazelnuts on a kernel basis were exported by Turkey in the 2023/24 July–August period.[51]
  • 943 suppliers and growers were represented in Ferrero’s 2023/24 hazelnut traceability reporting.[10]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[53]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[54]
  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[55]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[55]
  • 85% of Canadian food and beverage companies processed or manufactured products internally in 2020, while 13% both produced internally and outsourced production.[53]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing remains tied to seasonality and quality buckets, with 2026/27 Turkish Grain Board purchase prices at 255 TRY/kg and 250 TRY/kg.

Pricing strategy in the hazelnut industry

  • $73.6 million was the revenue attributed to Oregon hazelnut bearing acreage in the USDA-based analysis.[50]
  • $400 per acre was the annual land lease-rate assumption in Oregon State University’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]
  • 2,800 marketable pounds per acre was the yield assumption paired with the $0.70-per-pound grower price in Oregon’s enterprise budget.[56]
  • $2,300 per ton was the average value used for Oregon hazelnuts in the economic-impact analysis based on USDA data.[50]
  • $0.70 per pound was the grower price assumption in Oregon State University’s 2008 hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]

Cost reduction in the hazelnut industry

  • $341 per acre was the 2024 Oregon custom rate for one hazelnut harvest pass including shaking, sweeping, tote loading, washing and drying.[57]
  • $234 per acre was the 2024 Oregon custom rate for washing and drying hazelnuts.[57]
  • $18.60 per acre was the 2024 Oregon custom rate for hazelnut production pruning.[57]
  • $30.70 per acre was the 2024 Oregon custom rate for sweeping hazelnuts.[57]
  • $8 per acre was the approximate cost of esfenvalerate insecticide for filbertworm management in Oregon hazelnuts.[50]

Profitability in the hazelnut industry

  • 1,285 pounds per acre was the average gap between maximum attainable and actual yield in the 2017 western Oregon hazelnut survey.[50]
  • 10% was the charge applied to establishment funding as an opportunity cost in Oregon’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]
  • 1,600 pounds per acre was the average hazelnut yield used in the Oregon economic-impact analysis.[50]
  • $14 per hour was the hired-labor rate, including worker compensation, unemployment insurance and other labor overhead, in Oregon’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]
  • $2,896 per acre was the estimated revenue potential from mature western Oregon hazelnuts under ideal conditions, based on 3,017 pounds per acre at $0.96 per pound.[50]

Financial planning in the hazelnut industry

  • $10,000 per hectare was the estimated orchard-establishment cost, including irrigation, reported for prospective UK hazelnut growers.[58]
  • 20 feet by 20 feet was the orchard spacing assumption in Oregon State University’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]
  • $5,000 per acre was the land valuation used for long-term capital planning in Oregon’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]
  • 8 to 9 years was the expected period for hazelnut orchards to reach full production in the Oregon production-planning guidance.[59]
  • 100 acres was the typical orchard size assumed in Oregon State University’s hazelnut enterprise budget.[56]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product and storage guidance uses quantified windows, including a 12-month maximum recommended storage time for kernels at 12–18°C and 50–70% RH.

Product development in the hazelnut industry

  • 12 roasted American-European hybrid hazelnut varieties and two European varieties were evaluated by 98 U.S. consumers in a 2021 product-development sensory study.[60]
  • 7.68 was the mean overall-liking score for the control cookie in a Brazilian study developing cookies with hazelnut-skin ingredients.[61]
  • 6 sensory attributes—aroma, color, flavor, texture, overall liking and descriptor responses—were assessed in the 2021 hybrid-hazelnut consumer study in the United States.[62]
  • 20 sensory attributes were included in a scorecard for developing a potentially ecosustainable hazelnut-and-carob spread in a 2024 product study.[63]
  • 6 primary positive sensory drivers—roasty, hazelnut-like, caramel-like, chocolate-like, sweet and salty—were identified for roasted hybrid hazelnuts in U.S. product-development research.[62]

Product lifecycle in the hazelnut industry

  • 12 months is the maximum recommended storage time for hazelnut kernels at 12–18°C and 50–70% relative humidity under United Nations guidance.[64]
  • 2 years is the reported storage life for hazelnuts kept at 0–1.7°C and 60–65% relative humidity in Ontario production guidance.[11]
  • 4 years is the reported bulk storage life for dehydrated hazelnuts held at −3.9°C to −2.8°C and 60–65% relative humidity in Ontario guidance.[11]
  • 9 months was the approximate point after which vacuum packaging provided meaningful protection against oxidative deterioration in a three-season industrial hazelnut study.[1]
  • 1 year is the recommended cold-storage life for Oregon hazelnuts held at 34–38°F, according to the Oregon Hazelnut Industry Office.[65]

Value proposition in the hazelnut industry

  • 70% is the FDA-referenced water-activity threshold at 25°C cited by the Oregon hazelnut industry for food-safety context.[65]
  • 2–3% is the typical moisture content of dry-roasted Oregon hazelnut kernels, according to industry technical specifications.[65]
  • 4–6% is the typical moisture content of natural Oregon hazelnut kernels, supporting crisp texture and storage stability.[65]
  • 60% is the approximate fat content of hazelnut kernels, primarily unsaturated fatty acids, supporting their positioning as an oil-rich food ingredient.[66]
  • 0.46–0.49 is the reported water-activity range for natural Oregon hazelnut kernels, a level described as not supporting microbial growth.[65]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability reporting includes traceability and labor coverage, with Northwest Hazelnut’s onsite solar energy for 100% of plant energy.

Sustainability in the hazelnut industry

  • 100% of Northwest Hazelnut Company’s Hubbard, Oregon processing plant energy is generated onsite from solar power.[67]
  • 90.4% of Ferrero’s hazelnut value chain was globally traceable in crop year 2023/24.[10]
  • 14 social and environmental sustainability projects had been implemented by ofi in Türkiye since 2013.[26]
  • 55,000 farmers were represented in Ferrero’s 2023/24 hazelnut traceability system across eight sourcing countries.[10]
  • 97% of Ferrero’s hazelnuts were traceable to farmer level in 2025, globally.[10]

ESG in the hazelnut industry

  • 4 farm-management plans had been deployed at Ferrero agrifarms integrating regenerative-agriculture principles by 2023.[10]
  • 5 core elements define Ferrero Farming Values for hazelnuts: due diligence, traceability, standards, farming and communities, and sector transformation.[10]
  • 16 people comprised ofi hazelnut operations in Türkiye’s multidisciplinary sustainability department in 2025.[26]

Ethics in the hazelnut industry

  • 60% of hazelnut harvest workers in Türkiye were female according to FLA demographic research.[26]
  • 15–20 workers were typically employed by an individual Turkish hazelnut producer during the harvest season.[26]
  • 62 child workers were observed on 18 of 31 farms visited in Türkiye’s hazelnut supply chain in 2017.[26]
  • 10 hours was the average daily working time reported for migrant workers in Turkey’s hazelnut value chain.[68]
  • 7% of Turkish hazelnut harvest workers were children under 15 in FLA demographic research.[26]

CSR in the hazelnut industry

  • 26 farms were visited in FLA’s 2011 assessment of Nestlé’s Turkish hazelnut supply chain.[26]
  • 11 hazelnut suppliers developed child-labor policies aligned with international standards through the same Türkiye project.[26]
  • 7 suppliers initiated farm-level monitoring through the Fair Labor Association’s Türkiye responsible-recruitment project.[26]
  • 17 intermediaries registered with Türkiye’s Employment Agency through the Fair Labor Association’s responsible-recruitment project.[26]
  • 377 workers were interviewed in FLA’s 2011 assessment of Nestlé’s Turkish hazelnut supply chain.[26]

Circular economy in the hazelnut industry

  • 14.38% is the reported moisture content of hazelnut shells in a review of shell-based cement composites.[61]
  • 38% of hazelnut shell dry matter is lignin, while cellulose and hemicellulose each account for about 23%.[69]
  • 9–12% of the hazelnut shell fraction can be converted into levulinic acid in the proposed biorefinery cascade.[69]
  • 45% of the final waste stream in the proposed shell cascade was recovered as carbonaceous hydrochar.[69]
  • 50% of the hazelnut nut’s total weight is estimated to be shell, equivalent to about 273,000 metric tons globally in 2021/22.[69]

Carbon footprint in the hazelnut industry

  • 132.53 kg CO₂-equivalent per hectare was generated by manure in the studied Turkish hazelnut farms.[70]
  • 24.83% of total greenhouse-gas emissions in the studied Turkish hazelnut farms came from pesticides.[70]
  • 153.58 kg CO₂-equivalent per hectare was generated by pesticides in Turkish hazelnut production, the largest single source measured in 2025 research.[70]
  • 78.44 kg CO₂-equivalent per hectare was generated by chemical fertilizer in the studied Turkish hazelnut farms.[70]
  • 72.66 kg CO₂-equivalent per hectare was generated by diesel fuel in the studied Turkish hazelnut farms.[70]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade flows highlight Türkiye’s reach in import markets and alternative origin sourcing, such as Russia’s 2023 imports worth $93 million.

Globalization in the hazelnut industry

  • 93 million USD was the value of Russia’s hazelnut imports in 2023, with Azerbaijan supplying 68%.[75]
  • 15,000 tonnes of hazelnuts worth USD 93.1 million were exported by Georgia between August 1, 2024 and March 26, 2025.[76]
  • 155 million USD was the value of France’s hazelnut imports in 2023, with Türkiye supplying 53%.[75]
  • 123 million USD was the value of Canada’s hazelnut imports in 2023, with the United States supplying 50%.[75]
  • 422 million USD was the value of Italy’s hazelnut imports in 2023, with Türkiye supplying 59% of the market.[75]

Cultural adaptation in the hazelnut industry

  • 94% of Uzbekistan’s hazelnut imports came from Azerbaijan in 2023.[75]
  • 98% of Italy’s hazelnut exports were destined for European Union markets in 2021.[51]
  • 99% of Armenia’s hazelnut imports came from Georgia in 2023.[75]
  • 53% of France’s hazelnut imports came from Türkiye in 2023, reflecting adaptation to a major European destination market.[75]

Supplier management in the hazelnut industry

  • 90 Italian farms participate in Loacker’s contracted hazelnut cultivation project across Veneto, Umbria, Tuscany and Marche.[25]
  • More than 98% of Nestlé’s hazelnut purchasing volume was covered by its supplier disclosure for October 2024 to September 2025.[23]
  • 3 Turkish hazelnut suppliers of Nestlé—Ofi, Balsu and Yavuz—operate human-rights activities for workers and farmers.[23]
  • Approximately 320,000 hazelnut gardens were estimated to exist in Türkiye in Nestlé’s supply-chain assessment.[23]
  • 26 Turkish hazelnut farms were visited in the sample used for Nestlé’s supply-chain assessment.[23]

Stakeholder management in the hazelnut industry

  • 152 hazelnut farms in Türkiye were surveyed in a 2022 study assessing sustainability in Giresun and Ordu.[77]
  • 600,000 hazelnut farmers were estimated globally in Ferrero’s 2023 report, including approximately 550,000 in Türkiye.[10]
  • 275 Turkish hazelnut farmers’ farm-polygon data were shared with the Rainforest Alliance in 2022 for deforestation-risk analysis.[78]
  • 725,000 hectares were devoted to hazelnut production in Türkiye in 2022.[79]
  • 500,000 hazelnut producers were estimated in Türkiye in 2022.[79]

Distribution channels in the hazelnut industry

  • 5 Nutkao production plants operated across Italy, the United States, Belgium and Ghana in 2024.[22]
  • 80 countries were reached by Nutkao’s customer network in 2024.[22]
  • 70% of Türkiye’s hazelnut imports into France came from Türkiye in the source’s market analysis for 2023.[75]
  • More than 700 clients in over 80 countries were served by Nutkao through five production plants in Italy, the United States, Belgium and Ghana.[22]
  • 6 European Union markets—Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic—were among Georgia’s leading hazelnut export destinations in 2025.[76]

Key questions about the Hazelnut Industry

How large is the global hazelnut market in 2025 and 2026?
The global hazelnut market was valued at $10.21 billion in 2025, and it is projected to reach $11.08 billion in 2026.
What is the expected growth rate for the global hazelnut market through 2034?
The global market is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.76% from 2026 to 2034.
Which companies lead the hazelnut industry?
Balsu Gıda and Ferrero are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 hazelnut ranking with an Overall score of 8.8 each.
What technology shifts are showing measurable performance in hazelnut work?
Research reported 100% accuracy for identifying unknown Turkish commercial hazelnut varieties using near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics.
Why is Türkiye’s supply position central to market structure?
Türkiye accounted for 59.2% of global in-shell hazelnut production in 2024, and the 2026/27 production forecast is 790,000 metric tons.
What matters for compliance in hazelnut ingredients in the EU?
EU rules set maximum aflatoxin levels at 2.0 micrograms per kilogram for aflatoxin B1 and 4.0 micrograms per kilogram for total aflatoxins in specified consumer and ingredient products.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Hazelnut Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hazelnut-industry-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Hazelnut Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hazelnut-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Hazelnut Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hazelnut-industry-statistics.

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