Parsippany-based Ferrero Hazelnut Company, a division of global food company the Ferrero Group, on Thursday expanded its investment in U.S.-grown hazelnuts with $340,000 in research grants: $160,000 to Rutgers University and $180,000 to Oregon State University.
The grants, a part of Ferrero’s commitment to using high-quality, fresh ingredients, will support the universities’ collaborative efforts with local farmers, producers, and distributors, to advance sustainability and efficiency in the industry.
“Our mission is to master the hazelnut value chain from end-to-end to create and deliver value in service of customers, brands, and products,” Tommaso de Gregorio, head of Ferrero’s Agri Competence Center, said. “This is particularly important in North America where we have invested billions of dollars in growth and innovation over the past decade.”
New Jersey has emerged as a leader in introducing hazelnut growing to the East Coast, supported by research and breeding programs at Rutgers University. $160,000 will be donated to Rutgers over four years as part of a long-term disease study, which supports the development of hazelnut varieties. This on top of $100,000 from a partnership with Ferrero that started in 2020.
“Our team at Rutgers is breeding trees resistant to the fungal disease Eastern Filbert Blight, which severely limits the production of hazelnuts in New Jersey and throughout the East Coast,” said Thomas Molnar, Associate Professor in the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. “With Ferrero’s generous support, our program is helping to unlock hazelnut production in eastern North America while providing a means to combat this disease if it spreads to new regions of the world.”
In addition to hazelnut cultivation, Ferrero Group has recently invested heavily in logistics, R&D, and manufacturing capabilities in North America.
