AIM | 31 July 2026Toesca acquires 800-ha asset to develop European hazelnut projectBy Lynda Kiernan-StoneToesca has acquired Ñuble Alto, an 800-hectare (1,976.8-acre) asset in the municipality of Chillán, in the Ñuble Region of Chile, where the team intends to develop a project for the production of European hazelnuts. A Remarkable EvolutionNo longer a regional specialty crop, the global hazelnut industry has undergone rapid growth and expansion, becoming a high-value global commodity thanks to massive industrial demand from the chocolate and spread industry. Confectionary giants, especially Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, and Kinder, account for approximately 25 percent of the total global hazelnut supply, which has historically been mainly sourced from Turkey (65-70 percent). The rapid emergence of Chile as a global powerhouse in the hazelnut market represents a remarkable evolution in modern agribusiness. Chile only began expanding its hazelnut industry in 2010 with the introduction of cultivars from Oregon State University.