OUR HAZELNUTS
Ferrero’s activities to achieve sustainability along its hazelnut value chain include the traceability of this ingredient.
Our hazelnuts come mainly from Turkey, Italy, Chile and the USA. Ferrero is committed to achieving full traceability of its sourced hazelnuts in its hazelnut value chain. Traceability in Ferrero’s hazelnut value chain refers to being able to trace the hazelnuts back to their origin, either the individual farm or “farm cluster”. Achieving this commitment has been challenging in some countries where supply chains are larger and more complex. In other countries, higher levels of traceability have been reached. In Chile and the USA, for example, Ferrero has achieved full traceability.
Ensuring
quality
and freshness
The hazelnuts used in Nutella® come from hazelnut orchards, which are mainly found in Mediterranean type climates. Our hazelnuts come from different parts of the world, our main origins are Turkey, Italy, Chile and the USA. Turkey’s Black Sea region is the world’s largest producer of hazelnuts and as a consequence where we source the main part of our hazelnuts. Ferrero’s expertise and tradition with this fruit goes back to its roots in Italy, as supply can also be found in Piedmont - where Ferrero was founded - as well as in Lazio and Campania. The harvest takes place between the beginning of August and the end of September.
To ensure the availability of quality and fresh hazelnuts, cultivation is also taking place in countries from the Southern Hemisphere, representing an additional harvest from February to March. As part of this approach, Ferrero has established hazelnut farms (Agrifarms) in Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Australia, in addition to Georgia and Serbia. Through these Agrifarms, Ferrero is developing a sustainable business model with local farmers, sharing and promoting good agricultural practices (nurseries, training, agronomic assistance, etc.). Discover more inside Ferrero's latest CSR report here.
Sustainability in hazelnut sourcing
Ferrero's vision vision towards sustainability aims to improve the conditions of the hazelnuts communities where it operates.
O programa Ferrero Farming Values (FFV) para avelãs opera na Turquia desde 2012. Dentro deste programa, a Ferrero desenvolveu um Padrão de Produção de Avelã em colaboração com a SCS (Scientific Certification Systems) Global Services, uma empresa líder global em serviços de certificação e sustentabilidade. Por meio do programa Ferrero Farming Values (FFV), a Ferrero trabalha com agricultores, em sua maioria pequenos agricultores, para capacitá-los com conhecimento de boas práticas agrícolas e sociais. Todos os anos, a SCS Global Services, juntamente com as empresas de auditoria locais, realiza auditorias específicas de agricultores escolhidos aleatoriamente.
Ao longo da temporada de 2019, nossas equipes visitaram mais de 400 pomares por dia e conheceram 21.211 agricultores. Os pomares que participaram aumentaram seus rendimentos em média de 40-45% em comparação com os outros pomares nas mesmas áreas.
A Ferrero também colaborou com a GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) para desenvolver um Sistema de Monitoramento & Avaliação, a fim de avaliar e relatar o progresso e o impacto das atividades e intervenções sociais no terreno. Esse sistema reflete os dados coletados de diferentes partes interessadas, incluindo agricultores, trabalhadores, corretores de trabalho e líderes de opinião da comunidade.
Um dos países onde avelãs que atendem aos nossos padrões de alta qualidade são cultivadas é a Itália, e historicamente isso tem sido nas regiões do Piemonte, Lazio e Campânia, portanto, cuidar do desenvolvimento e preservação sustentável da cadeia de valor nessas áreas é fundamental. Como parte de seu plano de abastecimento responsável, a Ferrero colabora com o provedor global de garantia DNV GL desde 2015. Essa parceria está ajudando a Ferrero a desenvolver ações concretas no terreno com agricultores e associações, incluindo treinamento e assistência de campo.
A primeira inicitiva da Ferrero, Agrichile, foi criada em 1991 no Chile, que tem um clima favorável para o cultivo de avelãs. O resultado de mais de 25 anos de atividade Agrichile, combinando a expertise de nossos agrônomos e as altas habilidades dos agricultores chilenos, tem sido a criação de uma cadeia de valor total. Os próprios processos produtivos da Ferrero no Chile foram certificados em 2019 sob o padrão Sustainably Grown pela SCS Global Services, um programa de certificação credenciado. Ele garante que as avelãs atendem a várias normas ambientais, que os trabalhadores rurais e as comunidades agrícolas estão protegidas e engajadas, e que a fazenda é economicamente resiliente.
We are also sourcing our hazelnuts from Oregon in the USA. Oregon has a long and well-established tradition (the first cultured hazelnut tree was planted in Scottsburg in 1858) and expertise in the cultivation of hazelnuts. Hazelnut cultivation in Oregon achieves the highest levels of traceability and is concentrated in the Willamette Valley in the north western part of the state, near the Pacific Ocean. The oceanic climate in this region is favourable to hazelnut cultivation and allows high-quality hazelnuts of North American varieties to be grown.
Joining forces with key stakeholders
At Ferrero, we take ethical practices, including better employment practices within the hazelnut value chain, very seriously. Ferrero actively participates in an extended Public-Private Partnership with CAOBISCO (European Association of Chocolate, Biscuits & Confectionery Industries) and the ILO (International Labour Organization) in Turkey, through a project that aims to contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal agriculture in hazelnut harvesting. Ferrero is also partnering with Earthworm Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on positively improving value chains, on its responsible sourcing program for hazelnuts.
