Demetrio Zanartu began planting hazelnuts in his native Chile in 2012, and his farm became one of the first of its kind in the country to cultivate the nut.
Now his operation is going from strength to strength and hazelnut farming is growing in popularity in his region. “It’s a fantastic crop that really thrives in the Chilean climate,” he says.
Zanartu didn’t fall into the hazelnut industry by chance though. He bought his first plants from Ferrero and the renowned company has been supporting him ever since. “Every month, a professional from Ferrero shows me techniques to get the best out of the plants, such as doing leaf and soil analysis to ensure they get enough water.”
Ferrero knows a thing or two about hazelnuts, a hero ingredient in the company’s well-loved products. “We have longstanding expertise in hazelnuts, one of our distinctive ingredients,” says Marco Botta, general manager of the Ferrero Hazelnut Company.
The company’s origin story is a fascinating one. After the Second World War, cocoa was extremely scarce. Ferrero, originally from Piedmont in Italy, turned this tricky problem into a smart solution, creating a paste made from hazelnuts, sugar and a little of the rare cocoa. And just like that, the ancestor of Nutella was born.
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Working together An orchard farmer surveys the crop alongside a Ferrero Hazelnut Company representative
There are more than 300 varieties of hazelnut, so selecting the 12 that go into some of the world’s favourite confectionery is an art. That’s why
Ferrero has a specialist division dedicated to
its hero ingredient – and to those who grow it
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Quality, in a nutshell
The Chilean climate might be good for hazelnuts, but it takes a deeper understanding to cultivate them. “As a hazelnut farmer I have had to learn a lot about each stage of the growing process,” Zanartu explains.
“Hazelnuts are not like a fruit crop, which is picked by hand from the ground or from trees; hazelnuts drop down by themselves. They ripen in February and then will drop until the end of April. That means we need to do a number of harvestings.”
Zanartu has six people who work for him to cover the operation. “This is different to apple or cherry farming where you need 150 people daily,” he says. “It’s nice that a small team can do this work.”
People aside, technology also plays an important role on Zanartu’s farm. And even the machines are careful not to damage the crop. “First you blow the hazelnuts with air and then you pass over them with a sweeper machine, which pushes all the hazelnuts into the middle of the rows, where they are sucked up and blown with air again,” he explains. “I will fill a cart, which is then taken off to clean using air – this is key to protecting the quality of the hazelnut.”
With a fast-growing new crop at his fingertips, Zanartu is grateful to Ferrero for introducing it to him. “For myself and other new hazelnut farmers here, the techniques Ferrero has taught us have meant we have been able to plant in areas we never could before, that is very beneficial. When I started, Chile had 8,000 hectares of hazelnut trees; now it’s 40,000 hectares and that will hopefully increase to 70,000 in the future.”
For more information, visit Ferrero.co.uk
“Hazelnut is the quintessential nutty flavour. We think of the taste and texture of hazelnuts as the classic nutty taste we know and love,” says Professor Barry Smith, director of the Institute of Philosophy and founder of the Centre for the Study of the Senses.
There’s science behind our appreciation for a Ferrero Rocher, it seems. “The sequence we experience when we bite into a Rocher involves a wonderful cascade of textures, from the snap of the chocolate shell and the creamy paste to the crispy wafer, then the gentle crack of the toasted hazelnut,” he explains. “We love these contrasts that generate subtle and satisfying flavour experiences.” Technique has a part to play.
“Roasted hazelnuts have just the right crunch and release smooth buttery pieces with that distinctive, delicate nutty flavour,” he adds.
Marco Botta explains: “When hazelnuts arrive at our factories, we carry out quality controls to make sure that they meet our strict standards. We also process and roast 100 per cent of our hazelnuts ourselves. In each of our factories we have several ‘master roasters’ who carefully calibrate the parameters of the roaster depending on the origin of the hazelnuts, their moisture and size, in order to enhance their fragrance.
“We roast the hazelnuts, at the optimal temperature, in batches of the same calibre to ensure better sensory uniformity. Every day our experts carry out specific tests to assess the hazelnuts’ aroma, taste and texture at every stage in the process.”
The quality of the hazelnut, however, is key to the experience.
“The flavour we perceive in food depends on its texture, shape and aroma, as well as its taste,” says Smith. “The quality and shape of a round hazelnut, like the kind you will find in a Ferrero Rocher, delivers an irresistible experience to the taster, whose tongue contacts all surfaces to pick up the roasted nutty flavour.”
Chocs away Professor Barry Smith is the founder of the Centre for the Study
of the Senses, which studies, among other things, the perception of taste
enjoy the Crunch
From farm to Ferrero
Crunch time The distinctive taste and texture of hazelnuts is a key part of the Ferrero Rocher experience
Ferrero also wants to ensure hazelnuts are grown in a way that creates value for everyone who works in the industry. The company has its own Hazelnut Charter, a manifesto focused on human rights, environmental protection and supplier transparency and traceability.
“We believe these areas can have a positive impact on the quality we deliver,” Botta says. “For example, we introduced the concept of traceability in hazelnuts, which is complex given that there are more than 600,000 farmers. Our latest progress report reveals we have achieved 79 per cent traceability globally.”
The Ferrero Hazelnut Company adheres to Ferrero’s overall sustainability standards and a big part of this is mapping complex supply chains. “You cannot address an issue if you don’t understand how your supply chain is structured,” says Nicola Somenzi, head of responsible sourcing at Ferrero. “If you are trying to set standards around how you source products, you need to shape your supply chain and get closer to the farmers to maintain consistency in our sourcing.”
Ferrero works closely with the farmers to encourage better working practices and share insights discovered through research and innovation. With the help of third parties, Ferrero regularly audits the farms it buys from and offers advice in any areas farmers need. “The success of our farmers is our success,” Somenzi says.
There are different intricacies within the hazelnut farming community, depending on location. In Chile, Ferrero’s team focuses on water and how to responsibly deliver the irrigation needed. In Turkey, one of the biggest sources of hazelnuts, the challenge is in harvesting.
Sustainable supplies
“The challenges facing the hazelnut industry are complex. They require organisations, governments and industry partners to work together to drive wide-scale positive change – beyond individual supply chains,” Somenzi says.
To help support farmers in the areas it sources, such as Turkey, Ferrero works with partners like the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the specialised agency of United Nations in the world of work, to improve conditions across the farms. “The hazelnut industry in Turkey is complex, which is why it is important to take a multi-stakeholder approach,” says Giovanni Di Cola, the director of the ILO office in Turkey. “That is why we collaborate with stakeholders from the industry, including companies and trade unions, to promote responsible sourcing practices. Families in hazelnut growing communities often face economic hardships, so it is key to help address these and provide alternative income opportunities.
WORKING IN COLLABORATION
With an estimated use of 25 per cent of the world’s hazelnut supply, Ferrero hasn’t looked back and, in 2015, it created a division focused on research and innovation within the hazelnut industry – the Ferrero Hazelnut Company.
“By putting all the activities relating to hazelnuts into one company we are able to focus on better outcomes,” adds Botta. “We’re always pushing for better and today the expertise of more than 3,000 colleagues around the world helps us to focus on activities ranging from agribusiness development, sourcing, processing and supply operations to quality and sustainability.”
It is a complex and fascinating industry. Did you know that every hazelnut at the centre of a Ferrero Rocher has the same diameter? Or that a different variety of hazelnut is used for the centre nut, the creme around it and the chopped hazelnuts on the outside?
“There are 300 varieties of hazelnut and each has a different characteristic,” Botta says. “We only buy 12 of these varieties and we check the size, the shape, the sensorial characteristics of each nut – these things can have an impact on the taste of our products.”
While cultivation has historically been focused in Italy, Georgia, France, Spain and Turkey, Ferrero has also started cultivating in Chile with farmers like Zanartu. “Areas where hazelnuts can grow are 35-40 degrees north or south from the Equator. Chile, for example, produces fantastic quality nuts and, because it is in a different hemisphere, we can grow fresh crops at different periods of the year,” says Botta.
Marco Botta, general manager
of the Ferrero Hazelnut Company
Nicola Somenzi, head of
responsible sourcing at Ferrero
“Providing training and capacity-building programmes, facilitating access to credit and resources, and encouraging the diversification of income sources help to create a more sustainable future for societies.”
The collaboration with governments, local authorities and relevant companies is helping the ILO to develop and implement robust legal frameworks that safeguard the rights of children and promote overall wellbeing in the community.
“In Turkey, manual labour is still used to harvest the crops, often performed by seasonal migrant workers who pass through for the six to eight weeks. Our aim is to improve the working and the living conditions for seasonal workers and their families,” says Somenzi.
Since 2013, Ferrero has been a key player in the CAOBISCO and ILO partnership in Turkey and has established projects aimed at building capacity, raising awareness and establishing ways to directly intervene against child labour – for example, by providing educational activities and material support.
“We have always been fully committed to sustainable livelihoods, human rights and environmental protection across our hazelnut value chain. To do this, we partner with stakeholders, including NGOs and local communities, to work with hazelnut farmers to put these actions into practice,” says Somenzi.
Working so closely with not only farmers, but the organisations supporting them, is just one of the many ways Ferrero is proactively moving the dial.
“We collaborate with stakeholders from the industry, including companies and trade unions, to promote and contribute to responsible sourcing practices. The collaboration between Ferrero and Turkey’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security has set an example for other multinational companies.”
“Improved standards aren’t something that happen overnight, but since we created the Hazelnut Charter, we can see that the needle is moving,” Somenzi says. “This is something that makes us incredibly proud and helps us remain committed to our goal of being a driving force behind a hazelnut industry that creates value for all.”
From measuring the diameters of each Ferrero Rocher hazelnut to ensuring support is provided to farmers and their families, Ferrero puts quality at the heart of everything it does.
