Hazelnut Growers of Oregon

What Hazelnut Growers of Oregon does

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon is a farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1983 and headquartered in Aurora, Oregon, that aggregates, processes, and markets Oregon-grown hazelnuts on behalf of its grower members. The cooperative operates processing facilities capable of producing both natural and roasted hazelnuts across multiple product forms — whole kernels, diced hazelnuts, meal and flour, paste, praline, and industrial inclusions — serving B2B food manufacturers, confectionery companies, and product developers in the ingredient market.

The underlying technology is conventional agricultural processing scaled to a multi-SKU product portfolio from a single Oregon-origin supply base. Oregon hazelnut growers reportedly achieve approximately 2.5x the yield per hectare of most competing origins, with about 82% of U.S. planted hectares currently in production and a record crop forecast, giving the cooperative access to a differentiated Western Hemisphere supply chain relative to Turkey-dominant global origins. The cooperative holds the registered Oregon Hazelnut Mountain Bar trademark and partners with Brown & Haley to manufacture and distribute this branded consumer product through Pacific Northwest retail and online channels.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B ingredient sales (quote-based, not publicly disclosed) under multi-year contracts, with a seasonal profit-share pricing model distributing returns to grower members. The customer mix is hybrid: grower members on the supply side, food manufacturers and ingredient buyers on the B2B side, and end consumers reached indirectly via the Brown & Haley channel partnership. Marketing is conducted through content (Hazelnut Hub blog), social channels, email newsletters, industry event participation (INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress), and a downloadable company brochure.

Name

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon

Legal name

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon

Website

https://hazelnut.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon is a 1983-founded farmer-owned cooperative in Aurora, Oregon that processes and sells Oregon-grown hazelnuts in multiple forms (whole, diced, meal, paste, praline, inclusions) to B2B food manufacturers, with branded consumer products distributed via Brown & Haley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hazelnut Processing and Sales: Processing and selling Oregon hazelnuts in various forms (whole kernels, diced, meal & flour, paste, praline, industrial inclusions) to food manufacturers and ingredient buyers. Revenue generated through product sales with profit share model for growers.
2. Grower Contract Model: Contract growing arrangements with hazelnut growers with profit share pricing. Field prices announced seasonally (e.g., April 2025 Profit Share).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon is a farmer-owned cooperative that processes and sells Oregon-grown hazelnuts in multiple forms — including whole kernels, diced hazelnuts, meal and flour, paste, praline, and industrial inclusions — in both natural and roasted varieties to food manufacturers, confectionery companies, and ingredient buyers. The cooperative also contracts with Oregon hazelnut growers under a profit-share model and supports consumer product distribution through channel partner Brown & Haley.

Product overview

Hazelnut Growers of Oregon is a grower cooperative and hazelnut processor that offers Oregon hazelnuts in various product forms to both industrial/manufacturing customers and consumers. The company provides a comprehensive product portfolio including Whole Kernels, Diced Hazelnuts, Meal & Flour, Paste, Praline, and Industrial Inclusions — all available in natural and roasted varieties. Additionally, the company supports consumer-facing products such as the Oregon Hazelnut Mountain Bar® through partnerships with confectionery companies like Brown & Haley.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whole Kernels Premium whole hazelnut kernels available in natural and roasted forms for B2B food manufacturer, ingredient, and industrial use.
• Diced Hazelnuts Diced hazelnut pieces supplied as an ingredient for food manufacturing, culinary, and industrial applications.
• Hazelnut Meal & Flour Ground hazelnuts in meal and flour forms supplied for baking, cooking, and food manufacturing applications.
• Hazelnut Paste Hazelnut paste supplied for use in confectionery, spreads, and food ingredient applications.
• Praline Hazelnuts Praline hazelnut products supplied for confectionery and dessert applications.
• Industrial Inclusions Hazelnut products designed for industrial food manufacturing and ingredient inclusion applications.
• Oregon Hazelnut Mountain Bar® Premium chocolate bar featuring Oregon hazelnuts, manufactured and distributed by channel partner Brown & Haley using HGO hazelnut ingredients, sold through Pacific Northwest retail outlets and online.

Quantifiable outcome

• U.S. growers achieve 2.5x hazelnut yield per hectare vs other origins

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC)minorOthers · 1 May 2026Industry association membership and participation. Hazelnut Growers of Oregon attended the 43rd INC World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Macau (May 2026) with approximately 1,300 participants from around the world. INC focuses on promotion, education, research, and advancing sustainable and ethical practices throughout the nut supply chain.
• Brown & HaleycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Brown & Haley is the manufacturer and distributor of the Oregon Hazelnut Mountain Bar. The company, founded in 1915 and based in Tacoma, Washington, produces the Mountain Bar featuring Oregon hazelnuts. Distribution is through retail outlets (Hudson News, ACE Hardware, Harbor Wholesale, Ben Franklin, Bi-Mart) and online at brown-haley.com. The Mountain Bar was introduced for the first time in 54 years for this flavor.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blue Diamond Growers: California-based grower-owned almond cooperative processing and marketing tree nuts globally. Closely comparable to Hazelnut Growers of Oregon in cooperative structure, multi-form processing, and B2B ingredient + branded consumer channels.
• John B. Sanfilippo & Son: U.S. tree nut processor and snack/ingredient supplier offering bulk nuts and value-added forms to retailers, food manufacturers, and ingredient buyers. Directly comparable product breadth and B2B ingredient go-to-market model.
• Mariani Nut Company: Family-owned U.S. tree nut processor (almonds, walnuts, pistachios) supplying bulk ingredients and consumer products. Comparable in multi-form processing capabilities and industrial B2B sales.
• Sunsweet Growers: California-based grower cooperative producing prunes and dried fruit for retail and ingredient customers. Comparable cooperative structure and supply chain model focused on a single specialty crop.
• Olam Food Ingredients (ofi): Global supplier of nuts, spices, and dairy ingredients with deep hazelnut sourcing and processing operations. Comparable as a multi-form tree nut ingredient supplier serving food manufacturers worldwide.
• Diamond Foods: U.S. tree nut snacks and ingredient company (Kettle Brand, Diamond of California). Comparable as a tree nut processor with branded consumer and ingredient channels.
• American Pistachio Growers: U.S. grower-funded pistachio marketing and research organization. Comparable grower-cooperative model and category-marketing approach to drive demand for a single tree nut crop.

Broad incumbents

• Ferrero: Global confectionery leader (Nutella, Ferrero Rocher) and the world's largest hazelnut buyer. Comparable as a vertically integrated participant in the hazelnut value chain, though operating as a customer rather than a peer cooperative.

Regional players

• Borges Agricultural & Industrial Nuts: Spain-based tree nut processor (almonds, walnuts, pistachios) supplying B2B ingredient markets across Europe. Comparable in multi-form tree nut processing but operating in a different geography than the U.S. cooperative.
• Fiskobirlik: Turkish hazelnut producer cooperative — the dominant global origin. Comparable in cooperative structure and hazelnut focus, but competes primarily from a different geography and against U.S. domestic positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HazelnutGrowersOregon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/it-optima-as
• Instagraminstagram.com/hazelnutgrowers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hazelnut Growers of Oregon