Hazelnuts in Shell

Why buyers choose in-shell

The shell is the best packaging nature makes. An unshelled lot carries the longest natural shelf life of any hazelnut form, tolerates ordinary warehouse conditions better, and costs less to process at origin — which is why buyers with their own cracking capacity, and retail and gift channels where the shell is part of the presentation, keep coming back to it.

What you take on

Cracking yield and kernel sorting move to your side of the transaction. Budget for both, and treat the shelling ratio as a commercial variable rather than a footnote — it is the single number that decides whether in-shell is cheaper than kernel for your operation.

Buyer notes

• Specify the shell calibre band, not just “large”. The bands run on the same principle as kernel sizing — see the calibre and grading guide.
• Ask for moisture as a number. Moisture at dispatch governs how the lot travels, whatever the pack format.
• Aflatoxin is calculated on the kernel. Where in-shell nuts are analysed, contamination is assumed to sit on the edible part, so the shell does not dilute the result — the EU limits guide explains the categories.
• Crop year matters most here. In-shell holds well, but ask for the harvest year and storage history rather than paying for the word “new” — see the harvest calendar.

If you are still weighing in-shell against kernels, our guide to hazelnut forms works through the decision, and why Giresun covers what the origin and the Tombul variety each contribute.