Eco-Friendly Hummingbird Hazelnuts
As we head into fall in the Pacific Northwest, crisp evenings and the changing color palette of leaves stirs up nostalgia and excitement for fall harvests. In Oregon, we look forward to this time of year, when our official state nut, the hazelnut (otherwise known as filbert) ripens and falls to the ground, ready to be harvested. If you have never tasted an Oregon-grown, organic hazelnut, you are in for a treat with that first bite. If you are already familiar with this delicious nut, then you know how good they are! They are delicious however you eat them – raw or roasted, as a snack, on a salad, baked into your favorite cookie recipe or ground into a nut butter spread.
Hazelnut facts:
Oregon offers the perfect climate and soil for growing these delectable nuts that are well-known by chefs and lovers of good food.
99% of the U.S. hazelnut crop is grown in Oregon, yet only 1% of that is certified Organic—of roughly 80,000 total acres in Oregon, just over 800 are Certified Organic.
A one-ounce serving of hazelnuts has 2.7 grams of dietary fiber, 20% of the Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) for the antioxidant vitamin E, 25% for copper and more than 90% for manganese.
We know the way that food is grown and packaged has a big impact on our health and the health of the planet. At Hummingbird Wholesale, that’s why we source over 75% of our products from U.S. organic farmers, many of them based right here in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon-grown, organic hazelnuts. We also deliver many of our products in reusable glass and plastic containers through our container return program. Retail customers pay a refundable container deposit, and when they return containers to Hummingbird, their deposit is credited to their account. We sanitize and refill the containers for the next sale which closes the loop on packaging waste. Our container return program has resulted in over 125,000 pounds of plastic containers and 93,000 pounds of glass containers being reused. We have a 76% return rate overall! Thanks to the collaboration of partners like Marlene’s Market and Deli, we have successfully surmounted some of the barriers to reusing packaging for many of our bulk and grocery products, rather than relying on disposable containers. Reducing the amount of single use plastic in food packaging is one step toward a healthier future for people and planet. We remain focused on reusing packaging and are ultimately aiming for a more circular plastic economy.
As you dig into some Oregon-grown, Hummingbird organic hazelnuts from Marlene’s bulk department, we hope you enjoy the delicious healthfulness of the nuts themselves, while also feeling good about the way they were grown and packaged. Close your eyes and taste the verdant earth!
Family-owned bulk and grocery foods manufacturer and distributor, Hummingbird Wholesale is dedicated to being a positive force for change in the organic food industry. Hummingbird works directly with family farms to source wholesome organic food, with a focus on Pacific Northwest-grown products, thoughtfully curating and creating unique, artisanal products, such as their in-house roasted and salted Oregon-grown, organic hazelnuts, their trademarked Awakened® Almonds and Pumpkin Seeds and single origin honeys. At Hummingbird Wholesale, every relationship matters--more than a food distributor, they work closely with farmers, businesses and nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable agriculture, build regional food system infrastructure, and strengthen the organic community. Visit hummingbirdwholesale.com!






