Founded in 1984, Hazelnut Growers of Oregon (HGO), a businessunit of farmer-owned cooperative Wilco, has more than 180growers who collectively own more than 20,000 acres of primehazelnut orchards. HGO is the premier hazelnut processor andmarketer in the U.S., servicing retail, ingredient and food servicechannels for confection, snack food, and baking manufacturersaround the globe. The 120,000 ft2 processing plant also has 57,000square feet of refrigerated storage space. The Oregon hazelnutindustry is expected to double in the next five years.