Northwest Hazelnut Company, a small agribusiness from Oregon, is keeping Oregon-grown hazelnuts in front of international buyers by participating in the 2018 FundMatch Program. FundMatch is coordinated by the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) and funded by the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP). During 2018, they attended the SIAL China trade show, which is a key opportunity to stay in front of their customer base and promote value-added products, such as processed nut forms. During the show, they were able to meet with dozens of their buyers in the WUSATA-coordinated pavilion, resulting in a 5% growth in business with China for 2018.
“It takes a long time to get traction in some markets. Participating with WUSATA gives me instant credibility with buyers from around the world,” explained Vice President of Sales Rick Peterson. “To convert customers, it takes a sustained presence at SIAL. Sometimes it takes multiple seasons before you get a foothold. We are building partnerships for longer term because we want customers that will be partners with us for years.”
Northwest Hazelnut Company belongs to a network of facilities which can process the entire Oregon hazelnut crop in less than 100 days. More than 99 percent of the U.S. hazelnut production comes from Oregon. The NW Hazelnut Company presents the global market with a full variety of nut forms ideal for baking, confections, snacks, cereals and toppings.
