Hazelnuts
European hazelnut in full expansion
The European hazelnut found in Chile's central valley one of its best climates outside the Mediterranean. Our orchards in San Rafael produce hazelnuts of exportable size and quality, with mechanized harvesting and precision management all year round.
Hazelnuts in Chile
Chile has become the leading producer of European hazelnuts in the southern hemisphere, and the central valley concentrates much of that growth. It is a noble, resilient tree, but the difference between a decent orchard and an excellent one lies in the management: this is how we work our fields.
From orchard to drying
Our orchards
Freshly harvested
Dried hazelnuts
How we grow hazelnuts
Six pillars define the management of our orchards in San Rafael:
- Deep soil preparation: before planting we subsoil to over a metre deep to break compacted layers. Hazelnut roots need to breathe and drain well: soil that holds water in winter brings the tree to a halt.
- Drip irrigation and fertigation: in spring and summer the hazelnut demands constant water. We drip-irrigate and inject nutrients directly into the water so every nut fills well and none come out empty.
- Designed pollination: hazelnuts cannot pollinate within their own variety, so the orchard is designed from day one with compatible pollinizers strategically distributed, synchronized with the winter bloom.
- Pruning for production every year: we fight alternate bearing (one heavy year, one light year) with professional pruning that keeps the canopy lit all the way to the centre of the tree.
- Humidity control: we monitor soil moisture throughout the season and, after harvest, control the drying of the nut to its optimum point: that is what ensures quality, flavour and a long storage life.
- Mechanized harvest: hazelnuts fall naturally between February and April. We keep the orchard floor flat and clean so the harvesters can pick up the crop before the first autumn rains.