Hazelnuts

We are a leading supplier of natural and semi-finished hazelnut products grown by farmers in Turkey.

Hazelnuts

We offer a range of hazelnut varieties and kernel sizes to develop new ingredients for confectionery, baking, ice creams and other applications. These include natural, roasted, blanched, diced, and paste ingredients, carefully produced to retain flavor, texture and aroma.

 

Our on-the-ground presence with farmers means we can help to improve productivity and quality, as well as labor conditions for workers. It also improves traceability. This is backed by stipulations in the Olam Supplier Code

 Improving social and labor conditions in the

hazelnuts supply chain

Since 2012, ofi has been taking actions to support farmers and seasonal workers, and to improve conditions in the hazelnut supply chain in Turkey. This is in line with our commitment to develop supply chains that respect people and human rights. And to make sure no children or adults are subject to illegal, forced or abusive labor practices. Over 70% of the world’s hazelnuts are grown in Turkey, where the challenges in the supply chain are complex and deeply entrenched. During the hazelnut harvest each summer, workers (the vast majority of whom are Turkish citizens) travel to take up seasonal work on hazelnut farms.

In partnership with the Fair Labor Association (FLA), ofi piloted the USDA’s Guidelines for Eliminating Child Labor and Forced Labor in Agricultural Supply Chains in collaboration with the Turkish government, Nestlé and Balsu. Completed in June 2018, the pilot assessed over 1,000 hazelnut farms and the report identified the systemic barriers and solutions to improving working and social conditions.

Interested in how we endeavour to improve social and labor conditions in the hazelnuts supply chain?

Read ofi news

Press Release Oct 7, 2024
ofi shortlisted in trio of sustainability awards for pioneering social impact initiatives

On International Coffee Day, the World Coffee Innovation Awards prized ofi's efforts to address child labor risks in major coffee-growing origins with its ‘Coffee Kindergartens’ initiative winning the ‘Best Sustainability Initiative’ category.

 

The Kindergartens are set up by ofi’s local coffee teams each year, supported by its specialty coffee business Covoya, in areas identified as high-risk through community surveys, part of its Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS). They offer a safe space for children to play and learn during the school holidays while their parents harvest coffee on the farms.

 

The success of the first Coffee Kindergarten in Guatemala, run in partnership with NGO Funcafé in 2020, attracted support from donors and customers, allowing ofi to expand the initiative to set up a further 22 Kindergartens last year in Guatemala and two in Honduras and Nicaragua with local NGO Educo.

 

On the same day, the Reuters Sustainability Awards shortlisted ofi in the Business Transformation category for pioneering work in natural capital accounting. ofi was one of the first companies in the world to start reporting the impact of its sustainability efforts in dollars and cents through its Integrated Impact Statement (IIS) and today, is applying multi-capital accounting to delve into the year-on-year monetary impact of selected coffee and cocoa programs.

 

ofi was also shortlisted in the Social Impact category for its first social capital impact valuation which assessed the value of customized support delivered to approximately1,000 coffee farmers as part of a living income project in Honduras with partner ALDI SOUTH Group. Analysis for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 crop years revealed a Social Return on Investment (SROI) of eight dollars for every dollar invested.

 

Roel Van Poppel, Chief Sustainability Officer at ofi said: "These achievements reflect our ongoing efforts to double down on the topics that matter most to our customers and the communities where we operate, and where we can make the greatest impact.

 

“We are able to do this because of the expertise and relationships we’ve grown in the heart of farming communities. And we’re choosing to achieve a lot more under our ‘Choices for Change’ sustainability strategy with 2030 targets to raise 200,000 ofi farmer households to a living income and remediate 100% of identified human rights cases, which our plans for 50 new Coffee Kindergartens will contribute to. We are inviting our customers and other partners across the supply chains to join these projects so we can collectively drive positive change.”

 

#bethechange

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