Ferrero’s hazelnut strategy in Chile has accelerated through 2025, with the company now aiming to double the country’s area planted with European hazelnuts, cementing Chile’s role as Ferrero’s key supplier for both North and South America. Thirty years after European hazelnuts were virtually unknown in Chile, Ferrero’s agricultural subsidiary, AgriChile, has led to explosive sector growth. What began with small pilot programs now sees hazelnut cultivation expanding from just 100 hectares in the 1990s to an estimated 32,000 hectares by 2025 (industry sources), with Chile on track to surpass 60,000 hectares within the next decade.
The Chilean Transformation
Today, Chile’s Maule and La Araucanía regions are at the core of Ferrero’s production, with AgriChile cultivating 4,200 hectares and employing nearly 700 people—representing about a quarter of Ferrero Hazelnut Company’s global staff. AgriChile operates as Chile’s primary buyer of European hazelnuts. The country now stands as Ferrero’s third-largest hazelnut supplier, behind only Turkey and Italy, and Ferrero projects that within 10 to 15 years, Chile could supply as much as 50% of all hazelnuts for its American factories.
Investments and Forward Strategy
Despite political and economic challenges in recent years—including the 2019 social unrest and ongoing constitutional reforms—Ferrero has reaffirmed its commitment to grow in Chile. The company has outlined two major investments: a US$40 million hazelnut processing plant in the Ñuble Region, expected to be operational by late 2027, and an additional US$3 million in internal management upgrades. The focus is on strengthening processing, sustainability, and innovation platforms.
Global and Regional Impact
Ferrero continues to develop hazelnut operations in several countries in the southern hemisphere, including Argentina and Australia, but highlights the climate and soil conditions in Chile as especially favourable. Australia, after a decade of efforts, has not matched the yields or quality achieved in Chile. Ferrero’s expansion efforts include not just production but also distribution, with a strategy aimed at prioritising supply for North and South American and Chinese markets, driven by recent investments in those regions.
Quality, Sustainability, and Innovation
Maintaining high production standards and adopting regenerative agricultural methods are critical to Ferrero’s future sourcing from Chile. In 2025, Ferrero is launching Chile’s first regenerative agriculture manual for hazelnut producers, providing digital resources and guidelines to align local farming practices with sustainability goals. The company sees Chilean operations as a laboratory for innovation and a model for sustainable growth globally.
Meeting Demand from China
Ferrero has its sights set on growth in China, where per capita chocolate consumption remains low but is rising quickly. Post-pandemic recovery in China has been strong, with sales already surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels. Ferrero anticipates that Chilean hazelnuts may eventually supply its Chinese production sites as well, fueling overall expansion into high-potential markets.
Chile’s hazelnut sector, once a footnote, has become a vital component of Ferrero’s global supply chain. As the Italian group doubles down on investment, innovation, and sustainability in 2025, Chile’s central-southern regions stand poised for continued expansion and strategic significance on the world stage.
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