Harvest has just gotten underway, so work starts dark and early at the new processing facility. They receive 160,000 pounds of hazelnuts an hour from 180 farmers/growers in the Willamette Valley.

NEWBERG, Ore. — In 1976, three Oregon hazelnut farmers — John Newell, Dick Birkemeier and Ben Mitchell Jr. — partnered to form Willamette Hazelnut. “They were concerned about the financial ...

Plenty of Oregon farms grow hazelnuts — including one processor that’s running off the sun and helping shape the future of the hazelnut business.

While the Firestone Processing Co.’s decision to shut down is sad news for many farmers, experts don’t anticipate the loss of the packer will destabilize the state’s hazelnut industry.

The ribbon was cut Sept. 1 at the first all-solar hazelnut processing plant in Hubbard, Oregon. The plant is owned by NW Hazelnut Company.

For the last few months, the hazelnut processing plant in Hubbard has been pushing out nuts on nothing but the power of the hot, summer sun. The plant, owned by NW Hazelnut Company, is, according ...