Along with turkey and trees, hazelnuts are another popular holiday tradition. With a harvest extending from mid-September to mid-October, the nut is a timely seasonal treat, whether eaten alone or included in chocolates and other delicious baked goods.
Europeans are by far the biggest consumers of holiday nuts — think the Italian hazelnut spread Nutella — but demand in America is increasing too. While Turkey dominates the global hazelnut industry, Oregon grows the majority of U.S. hazelnuts. And more eastern states such as New Jersey are interested in joining the game.
Challenges to Market Growth
But as Shawn Mehlenbacher, Professor of hazelnut breeding and genetics at Oregon State University, explains, further expansion faces challenges.
“Hazelnuts are a growing market in which demand exceeds supply,” he says. “There’s interest in expanding acreage, but hazelnuts are narrowly suited to certain climatic environments, so there aren’t really that many suitable places in the U.S. to grow them.”
Hazelnuts like Mediterranean climates near the ocean where it’s never too hot nor too cold. They like some humidity and do well in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, just inland from the Pacific Ocean.
Another challenge is disease, in particular, Eastern filbert blight. The fungus is native to many eastern states and a barrier to establishing an industry there. While hazelnuts also encounter bacterial blight, it can be combated fairly easily with copper sprays. Eastern filbert blight, however, is harder to manage and detect.