80 per cent of the world’s hazelnuts come from Turkey. Unfortunately, Turkish hazelnuts pose the risk of child labour in the harvesting process. In order to reduce social risks, HALBA sources exclusively Rainforest Alliance certified hazelnuts from Turkey. Alternative countries to Turkey currently lack a sufficient professional processing structure in order to produce the required quantities of hazelnuts according to the desired Bio Suisse certified quality. HALBA therefore plans to establish a sustainable value chain for hazelnuts in other countries in Southeastern Europe. This will enable greater transparency and increased procurement security.
In Nelkoski Organic, HALBA has found a promising new partner in North Macedonia: Nelkoski Organic now produces exclusively organic and is the first Bio-Suisse-certified hazelnut producer in the country. The quantities of organic hazelnuts available from Nelkoski Organic Food are currently still limited. The Coop Sustainability Fund and HALBA Investments are co-financing higher-quality plants and the mechanisation of field work and harvesting in order to increase cultivation quantities and competitiveness.
As well as Nelkoski Organic, we are interested in other producers from the Balkans. With the help of our partner, the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), these are to be found and supported in their primary production and processing. This includes advice on cultivation, assistance with certification and support in accessing investment grants, especially for the expansion of the processing infrastructure.
