Six Month Progress Report
Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective Demonstrates Early Market Momentum
with Funding Through USDA OMDG Award
Contact: Judy Hirigoyen
Email: JudyHirigoyen@gmail.com
Salem, OR — December 2025 — With a USDA Organic Market Development Grant(OMDG) award totaling less than $200,000, the Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective (OOHC) has delivered a remarkably productive six-month period of market expansion activity, demonstrating how far strategic, low-budget promotional efforts can go in elevating a specialty crop with strong potential.
From June through November 2025, OOHC—working collaboratively with grant partners Oregon Organic Coalition and Hummingbird Wholesale—executed a coordinated campaign designed to increase awareness and stimulate demand for Oregon’s organic hazelnuts among chefs, consumers, trade, and international audiences.
OOHC introduced Oregon organic hazelnuts to influential professional chefs through a strategic partnership with the Maitres Cuisiniers de France-USA (French Master Chefs-USA). Several chefs subsequently are reporting adding Oregon organic hazelnuts to their menus—an extremely strong indicator of long-term adoption and momentum for a nut that is familiar in French culinary tradition, but relatively new to most of the United States outside of the Pacific Northwest.
OOHC participation and sampling at consumer events in Oregon and California provided additional exposure at events drawing 175,000 attendees, many of whom reported that they had never tasted a whole hazelnut before, highlighting the market opportunity for education and product trial beyond coffee creamers, candies, and spreads.
OOHC’s promotional campaign, branded as OOH!, has quite literally drawn “OOHs” and “AHHs” from consumers tasting natural Oregon organic hazelnuts for the first time. The bright, clean flavor profile continues to surprise newcomers and reinforce the crop’s culinary value.
OOHC has completed and published comprehensive Supplier Lists for both wholesale and consumer buyers, now accessible at organichazelnuts.org. This addresses a persistent challenge voiced by consumers and manufacturers seeking reliable sources for organic hazelnuts.
Despite having no paid advertising, the OOHC website https://organichazelnuts.org/ attracted nearly 23,000 unique visitors between June and November 2025. More than half arrived through direct searches, demonstrating rising name recognition and sustained interest in Oregon’s organic crop. Significant traffic also originated from Asia and Europe—two of the world’s strongest tree-nut import regions—reflecting meaningful international curiosity.
OOHC’s social media content generated tens of thousands of views across Instagram (OrganicHazelnutGrowers) and Facebook(Oregon Organic Hazelnuts), supported by exceptionally high engagement rates. Independent benchmarks show that the average Instagram engagement rate across all industries is approximately 0.44% per post (RivalIQ¹), while nonprofit organizations average 0.62%². Facebook brand page engagement often falls between 0.06% and 0.20%³. OOHC’s engagement rates, consistently several times higher, demonstrate extraordinary audience resonance. Hootsuite reports OOHC’s Instagram average engagement rate at 17.86% and Facebook at 15.48%.
“In just six months, we’ve seen Oregon’s organic hazelnuts earn attention from Michelin-starred chefs, curious consumers, industry professionals, and international markets,” said OOHC Chair Lori Stole. “Achieving this level of traction on such a modest budget shows what is possible through strategic partnerships, strong storytelling, and a product with genuine culinary, nutritional, and environmental value.”
OOHC will continue its work in 2026, furthering chef engagement, consumer education, and expanding opportunities for Oregon’s organic hazelnut growers.
The Oregon Organic Hazelnut Collective promotes the environmental, culinary, and economic value of Oregon-grown organic hazelnuts. Supported in part by the USDA Organic Market Development Program, OOHC works to expand market access, strengthen grower opportunities, and increase consumer awareness of this distinctive Oregon specialty crop.
¹ RivalIQ 2024 Social Media Benchmark Report — Industry Instagram engagement average: 0.44%.
² RivalIQ 2024 Nonprofit Social Media Benchmark — Nonprofit Instagram engagement average: 0.62%.
³ Hootsuite/Meltwater 2024 Global Social Media Benchmarks — Facebook brand engagement norms 0.06%–0.20%.
