Spring 2023 Consumer Survey and Focus Groups
Phase Two of the LFPP project is underway and we need your help! We are currently conducting an online survey of Midwestern consumers to better understand awareness of hazelnuts, preference and buying habits of nuts and hazelnut products, and which attributes of Midwest-grown hazelnuts are most important. Please click the survey link below to take the 10 minute survey. Better yet, let your friends know about it so they can take it, too. We are also conducting four focus groups (Ashland, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis) this spring. Click the Focus Group link to learn more.
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The survey will take about 10 minutes. Your answers will help us better understand what consumers know about and want when it comes to hazelnuts.
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We are also hoping to reach folks who aren't already familiar with Midwestern hazelnuts. We'd be grateful if you would forward this survey to a friend, or share it on social media.
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We also have some focus groups coming up! If you know people who live in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, or Ashland who are not familiar with the Midwestern hazelnut industry, we'd love for them to join! Participants will be compensated.
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USDA Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) Grant Project Aims to Build Branding and Market Awareness for Midwest Hybrid Hazelnuts
Recent improvements in hazelnut genetics, harvesting technology, agronomics, and post-harvest processing capacity delivered by the Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative have made hazelnut production in the Upper Midwest an economically viable option for growers. The timing is perfect as global hazelnut demand exceeds supply and the Midwestern agricultural economy is in dire need of new crops and new opportunities.
A newly awarded Local Foods Promotion Project (LFPP) grant titled, Increasing The Production, Processing, and Sale of Locally-Grown Hazelnuts in the Upper Midwest will provide a set of marketing and branding tools for existing and future hazelnut growers and hazelnut product manufacturers in the Upper Midwest. These tools will lower friction costs to bringing product to market as expansion proceeds.
This web page will be updated regularly to provide interested growers and industry contacts timely information on the progress of the project. Additionally, there will be opportunities for interested stakeholders to participate in surveys, interviews and focus groups. If you are interested in being contacted for future participation opportunities, please sign-up through the contact form at the bottom of the page.
A newly awarded Local Foods Promotion Project (LFPP) grant titled, Increasing The Production, Processing, and Sale of Locally-Grown Hazelnuts in the Upper Midwest will provide a set of marketing and branding tools for existing and future hazelnut growers and hazelnut product manufacturers in the Upper Midwest. These tools will lower friction costs to bringing product to market as expansion proceeds.
This web page will be updated regularly to provide interested growers and industry contacts timely information on the progress of the project. Additionally, there will be opportunities for interested stakeholders to participate in surveys, interviews and focus groups. If you are interested in being contacted for future participation opportunities, please sign-up through the contact form at the bottom of the page.
Grant Team
Jason Fischbach, UW-Extension
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Will Pipkin, Copy That (Ashland, WI) -- Marketing and Branding Professional
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Grant Objectives
- Gain a better understanding of hazelnut consumers and markets in the Upper Midwest.
- Create brand messages and marketing to tell the story of Midwest-grown hazelnuts.
- Better understand food businesses interests and barriers to using hazelnuts as ingredients.
- Develop a comprehensive brand and marketing program as a means to increase sales of Midwest-grown hazelnuts.
January, 2023 Midwest Hazelnut Branding and Marketing Recommendations
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Phase One of the LFPP project is complete! The report to the right provides an assessment of the current hazelnut industry in the Upper Midwest, a review of market assessment literature, and a number of recommendations of how to brand, market, and position Midwest-grown hazelnuts during this early phase of the industry. Enjoy!
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March 5, 2022 Hazelnut Conference Branding Session
At the 2022 Upper Midwest Hazelnut Growers Conference we hosted a marketing and branding session to better understand how hazelnut growers themselves think about hazelnuts and what they want their customers to know about hazelnuts. What they said is in the following documents.
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