A 7,000-Year Relationship

Hazelnuts have been part of British Columbia's story for longer than most people realize.

A 2024 study from Simon Fraser University, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that Gitxsan, Tsimshian, and Nisga'a peoples had been deliberately cultivating and transplanting the beaked hazelnut across BC for at least 7,000 years. This wasn't passive foraging - DNA sequencing of over 200 hazelnuts revealed distinct genetic clusters tied to specific communities, evidence of intentional stewardship across distances of up to 800 kilometres. The nut fed people, yes, but it also provided stems for baskets, baby carriers, fish traps, and arrows. It was a cultivated relationship in every sense.

European settlers recognized the same potential. Commercial hazelnut farming in the Fraser Valley took root in the 1930s, as farmers recognized that BC's climate - mild coastal winters, warm summers, well-drained fertile soil - closely mirrors the great hazelnut-growing regions of Northern Italy and France. By 2000, the valley had over 800 acres under cultivation, producing more than a million pounds annually.

Then Eastern Filbert Blight arrived - a fungal disease that is harmless to wild hazelnut species but lethal to the European varieties grown commercially. By 2010, it had destroyed roughly 90% of BC's hazelnut trees.

What's happened since is a genuine revival. Growers are replanting with new disease-resistant varieties, supported by the BC Hazelnut Growers Association and the BC Ministry of Agriculture's Hazelnut Renewal Program. The orchards coming back today are the result of fifty years of careful breeding work. When you buy a jar of Au Pralin, you're part of that story.

A Nut Worth Understanding

What makes the hazelnut worth all this effort is its extraordinary nutritional profile. Hazelnuts carry approximately 65% oil by kernel weight - primarily heart-healthy monounsaturated fats - and research consistently links hazelnut-enriched diets to reductions in LDL cholesterol and improvements in cardiovascular markers. They are one of the richest food sources of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that supports cell protection and reduces inflammation. They also contain an unusually high concentration of proanthocyanidins - the same class of polyphenols found in red wine and dark chocolate, shown to have antioxidant activity that outperforms vitamin C and E in certain conditions. Add to that a meaningful dose of manganese, magnesium, fibre, and B vitamins, and you have a nut that earns its place in the pantry well beyond its flavour.

That flavour, of course, is the other reason. Those same oils - oleic and linoleic acids - are where the hazelnut's buttery, naturally sweet depth lives. They're also sensitive to heat, light, air, and humidity: when storage conditions aren't carefully controlled, oxidation sets in and produces a rancidity that no processing can reverse. This is why we source directly from nearby Fraser Valley orchards, working with growers we know, and why we know how our hazelnuts were grown, harvested, and stored before they reach us.

Au Pralin's contribution

Our signature hazelnut & milk chocolate spread is made of 64% Fraser Valley hazelnuts. When you open a jar of Au Pralin, you're tasting a place - its soil, its seasons, and the farmers doing the patient work of rebuilding something worth preserving.