Ontario nut business sees surge in demand

Ontario nut business sees surge in demand

Ontario’s Jewels Under the Kilt, hazelnut industry see benefit of consumer interest in home-grown products

Ontario nut grower and manufacturer Jewels Under the Kilt has seen a surge in demand for its products due to ‘buy Canadian’ sentiment.

Ferrero imports about 12,000 tons of hazelnuts annually, representing a potential $30 million per year industry for Ontario. A University of Guelph researcher is working toward genetic preservation of hazelnuts to breed plants that can tolerate temperature fluctuations.

Climate solutions found in genes

Making hazelnut trees more cold tolerant is one of eight genomics projects funded in the province

A research program focused on genomics was front and centre at the recent summer meeting of the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC).  In 2019 the organization partnered with Ontario Genomics and Genome Canada to announce $3 million in funding for eight projects that would leverage genomics technologies in the agri-food sector.  “Each of the three partners […] Read more