This Is How Much Of The World's Hazelnut Supply Nutella Uses
When you combine hazelnuts and chocolate in one creamy, lush spread, perhaps it's no surprise that you've got a global phenomenon on your hands — and on your bread, waffles, strawberries, and crepes. Since the current iteration we know and love was created by Ferrero in Italy in 1964 (per Nutella's website), Nutella has been a treasured pantry staple. It has its own holiday on February 5, there are entire restaurants dedicated to it (via Eater Chicago), and it's even caused riots, according to NPR.
To keep up with intense demand around the world, Ferrero has to make a lot of Nutella. According to reporting done by Insider, a jar of the stuff is sold every 2.5 seconds, and with the total amount of jars sold each year, you could circle the globe 1.8 times, which would make for one delicious planet. According to Vine Pair, Ferrero makes over 365,000 tons of Nutella annually, which is the same weight as the Empire State Building.
Each jar of Nutella is 13% hazelnuts (via Nutella), which means Ferrero has to have a lot of these tasty filberts on hand. So, just how much of the world's hazelnuts are going into this iconic spread?
Nutella takes 25% of the world's hazelnut supply
According to BBC, Ferrero purchases a quarter of the world's hazelnuts every year to meet its Nutella-making needs. Mental Floss says that this comes to more than 100,000 tons. On Nutella's website, Ferrero writes that it gets these hazelnuts from Turkey, Italy, and Chile. They're harvested from the start of August to the end of September in the Northern Hemisphere; in order to always have fresh hazelnuts, Ferrero also now sources from the Southern Hemisphere, where harvest time is from February to March.
NPR reported that Nutella is responsible for making hazelnuts such a trendy crop and therefore driving prices up. In 2014, a late frost cut Turkey's hazelnut supply in half and prices skyrocketed 60%. Now, people in places where hazelnuts had never been grown before, like New Jersey, are trying to grow these valuable, Nutella-ready nuts.
As Mental Floss reports, 52 of these sought-after hazelnuts make their way into each 14-ounce jar of Nutella. They're combined with cocoa, palm oil, sugar, and milk powder (per Healthline) to make the dreamy, creamy (if not very healthy) spread that makes every meal just a little tastier, and that can also improve countless recipes.