Hazelnut is one of our main raw materials and has always been a symbol and distinctive sign of goodness and freshness in our products.
We use only 100% exquisite Italian hazelnuts freshly roasted by Loacker.
The hazelnuts used in our production are sourced exclusively in Italy, to ensure constant high quality and sustainability, both ecologically and economically for the involved farmers.
The idea behind the “Noccioleti Italiani” (“Italian hazelnut orchards”) project was born in 2011 and became operational in 2014 when Loacker set up its own groves in Tuscany. The first 240 hectares of hazelnut groves were planted in Loacker’s agricultural companies, Tenuta Corte Migliorina, (Orbetello) and Tenuta Collelungo, (Roccastrada).
Since then, we have expanded our supply contracts from Tuscany to Veneto, Marche, and Umbria.
The supply contracts guarantee different advantages to the farmers: by signing long-term partnership contracts, Loacker guarantees to purchase the entire yield at an advantageous price. The project also includes different services, for example the provision of technical consultancies and the product’s initial processing on site. Moreover, Loacker has made a deal with the Intesa Sanpaolo bank which will open favorable credit line to farmers involved in the project.
Tommaso, supply farmer since 2021
“When I think about Loacker the first thing that comes to mind is entrepreneurship. They give farmers the chance to grow a product that is already commercialized, and in Tuscany hazelnut plantations were not present until Loacker opened up this possibility.”
In our own Hazelnut Orchard “Corte Migliorina”, we use “Subsurface Drip Irrigation” – a method that irrigates both slowly and precisely, exactly where the plant needs it. This allows us to save up to -30% water compared to standard drip irrigation.
In 2021, we have installed a 50 kWp photovoltaic system at the Corte Migliorina Orchards, and a 75 kWp system has been installed at the Collelungo Loacker estate by the end of 2022. So our Hazelnut Orchards will be energy self-sufficient.