Hazelnuts grow in many soil types, the only ‘essential’ is that they have well drained ground.

If you’re wondering whether they’ll grow on your land - have a look in your hedgerow!

Approximately 70% of the global hazelnut market is for 11-13mm nuts, with 25% for 14-16mm and 5% for 17mm+.

Oregon State University under Shawn Melenbacher, have dedicated the past 25 years to creating cultivars which have the highest yield potential whilst also maintaining the critical size specification.

These nuts also have harder shells, reducing rot in wet conditions before harvesting - making them highly attractive under the UK climate.

We are also trialling some of the newer Italian varieties which share some of these characteristics.

Farmers are planting trials on parcels as small as ½ an acre, with minimum commercial units starting around 5ha.

Scale doesn’t need to be met individually- just geographically, which is why we are so focused on collaboration between farmers.

As a first stop to getting involved, we urge any interested farmer to get involved with our variety trial.

A cobnut is an English variety of hazelnut. They are relatively historic cultivars which are best suited to the niche in-shell market due to their large size.