Filberts R Us
Filberts R Us is a third generation hazelnut farm located in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. We enjoy producing many kinds and flavors of treats and other products from our own orchard, and have our products available year-round.
We love helping customers with their hazelnut cravings! If you’re local, come visit us at the local farmers market in Corvallis, Oregon.
Barcelona Hazelnut
We grow Barcelona Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana cv Barcelona) here at Filberts R Us.
The European hazelnut was introduced to the United States by Sam Strickland, a retired English sailor who worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Strickland planted the first hazelnut tree in the Pacific Northwest in Scottsburg, Oregon in 1858.
In the late 1880s through early 1900s, French immigrant Felix Gillet introduced many cultivars from France including the Barcelona hazelnut.
Through the early 1900s, George Dorris of the Dorris Ranch in Springfield, Oregon spurred the commercialization and growth of the hazelnut industry in the Pacific Northwest. Starting with only 5 acres in 1903, by 2013 that number had grown to over 35,000 acres of commercial hazelnuts.
“Hazelnut or Filbert?”
There has been much debate over the “correct” name for the hazelnut. Is it hazelnut or is it filbert?
Well, when we talk about the commercial cultivars, they are varieties of hazelnut. The term filbert is somewhat of a common name or nickname given to the nut that was then popularized in many cookbooks and other publications throughout the early commercial growth of the hazelnut.
The nickname, filbert, may have derived from the German word vollbart (full beard), referring to the varieties of hazelnut with a prominent husk that entirely covers the nut. Some people believe that the name is in reference to St. Philibert, whose feast is celebrated on August 20 which is about the time of year that hazelnuts ripen in Europe.
Want to learn more?
Check out the OSU Extension Catalog’s article “Growing Hazelnuts in the Pacific Northwest” available at:
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9072
The Northwest Hazelnut Company also has some interesting facts and history on their site, including additional information about the name debate and the history of the Barcelona cultivar in Oregon.
