Company: Hazelnut Growers of Oregon

Website: www.oregonorchard.com

Introduced: February 2020

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $7.49-$7.99

Product Snapshot: Hazelnut Growers of Oregon (HGO) will launch four new Oregon Orchard hazelnut chocolates in February of 2020. This line of 6 oz. re-sealable pouched confections will be available at the Oregon Hazelnut Marketplace and all Wilco Farm Stores in Oregon and Washington. Oregon Orchard’s products are also available online at https://www.oregonorchard.com/.

The Oregon Orchard confections are dipped in premium, artisanal chocolate. The four flavors are: Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Skinny Milk Chocolate (20 percent less chocolate) and Marionberry Chocolate. The suggested retail price is $7.49-$7.99.

Matt Gillespie, director of marketing of Hazelnut Growers of Oregon, said chocolate is renowned for enhancing ingredient flavor profiles and hazelnuts are no exception.

“Hazelnuts are usually less sweet than almonds or pecans; they tend to bring out a satisfying texture and “brown butter” flavor that is distinctive from the other nut varieties,” Gillespie explained. “Chocolatiers often take advantage of this distinction when using hazelnuts as a primary inclusion in their confection portfolio. Thanks to Oregon Orchard, consumers can now enjoy this unique flavor combination firsthand.”

The hazelnut chocolates are a good source of vitamins B and E; and they are gluten-free.

All Oregon Orchard® products are produced with HGO members’ hazelnuts that are grown with sustainability in mind. The hazelnuts are steam pasteurized and roasted in small batches at the SQF (Safe Quality Food) Level-3 Certified processing facility in Donald.

Food Business News reported total U.S. multi-outlet sales of chocolate candy in the year ending July 15, 2018, were $11.2 billion, up 0.7 percent from the year before, according to I.R.I.