Gelato Messina plans to make the switch from imported Italian hazelnuts to locally grown ones by planting its own orchard.
The owner of the gelato chain, Nick Palumbo, plans to plant a 5,000-tree hazelnut orchard in Seymour, Victoria, according to an ABC Rural report.
He plans to plant four varieties which will be blended to create the Messina hazelnut flavour of the future, according to the report.
Hazelnut growers Jean and Basil Baldwin from Fourjay Farm Hazelnuts in Blayney, NSW, are advising Palumbo on how to create an orchard that will yield the right balance of nuts for the new blend.
Fourjay Farm reportedly figured out how to grow the right amount of nuts to match his recipe and will supply some of those trees.
Italian chocolate manufacturer Ferrero Rocher is also involved in a $70 million hazelnut orchard project in the NSW Riverina.
