Meet Hazel, The Health Nut: Hazelnut Growers Of Oregon Debuts New Packaging At Minneapolis Specialty Grocer

The revamped Oregon Orchard brand includes a new look and updated product categories, soon to be found on the shelves of Lunds & Byerlys.

Aurora, OR /PRNewswire/ - Hazelnut Growers of Oregon (HGO) is relaunching its Oregon Orchard CPG brand with striking new packaging for its baking, snacking, and chocolate-covered hazelnuts. The rebrand will elevate consumer awareness of hazelnuts as a delicious, healthy, and sustainable alternative to almonds and other popular nuts. The updated brand also introduces Hazel the Health Nut, an adventurous mascot that embodies the philosophy of the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) customer.

"This campaign is colorful and fun, but it serves a serious purpose: to expand people's perception of hazelnuts beyond their role as a flavor added to sweets or coffee. They're a delicious, healthful snack on their own, and a versatile ingredient in baking and cooking," said Dan Herdon, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Nut enthusiasts in the Twin Cities area will be among the first to encounter the rebranded Oregon Orchard products at the prominent regional grocery chain, Lunds & Byerlys. Over 99% of U.S. hazelnuts are grown in Oregon thanks to the perfect blend of rain, sun, and wind, and Midwesterners will get the first pick of this Pacific Northwest staple as part of the national relaunch of the Oregon Orchard brand.

To drive consumer awareness of Oregon Orchard products and availability, HGO is supporting retailers with a co-branded social media push that directly connects nut shoppers to a store near them. Additionally, customers can purchase both packaged and bulk hazelnuts online at www.oregonorchard.com.

Look for the updated Oregon Orchard packaging in select stores and online. To learn more about the products, brand, and Hazel the Health Nut, visit www.meet-hazel.com.

About Hazelnut Growers of Oregon
Founded in 1984, Hazelnut Growers of Oregon, a business unit of farmer-owned cooperative Wilco, has more than 180 growers who collectively own more than 20,000 acres of prime hazelnut orchards. Oregon's Willamette Valley has the ideal climate for growing the world's highest quality hazelnuts.

In 2016, Hazelnut Growers of Oregon merged with Wilco and by 2018 completed its 120,000 square-foot state-of-the-art hazelnut process facility in Aurora, Oregon. HGO processes a variety of hazelnut products, including in-shell, kernels, oils, butters, and baking ingredients for food service supply companies, confectionaries, snack food makers, and bakers around the globe. The new processing plant also has 30,000 square feet of storage space. The Oregon hazelnut industry is expected to double in the next five years. For more information visit https://www.wilco.coop/hazelnuts/.