It was a sunny day by the Parramatta River in Meadowbank, Sydney. I was chatting with a friend while the kids played nearby. At some point, we opened a pack of hazelnuts to snack on. They were good, but they just didn’t hit the mark. They lacked the taste we remembered from home: crunchy, aromatic, and full of character. When I mentioned it, my friend, half-joking, suggested we should look into bringing high-quality hazelnuts to people here.

Later on, I mentioned the idea to my wife, Hazel. As a true hazelnut lover, I was sure she’d support me but I didn’t expect her to go even further and become my tireless partner in this journey. From that moment on, we’ve been in it together, shoulder to shoulder.

Both Hazel and I loved nut products and relied on them daily to feel and function at our best. Of course, hazelnuts were our favourite. As a software developer and former calisthenics trainee, I knew how much my brain and muscles needed what hazelnuts had to offer. Hazel, being active and committed to fitness, also depended on a nutritious diet. For both of us, hazelnuts became an important source of protein and fibre.

Knowing how nutritious and delicious hazelnuts are, we started asking ourselves — how could we bring truly high-quality hazelnut products to more people? That simple moment sparked our journey.