The incredible story of Mountain Hazelnuts — now blended in our Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, only available in our Bhutan Seasonal Subscription Box. 

Nestled high in the Himalayas lies beautiful Bhutan, a pristine country known for its lush peaks and carbon-negative status. It’s the only country that measures success through Gross National Happiness instead of just economic growth. A rare and important example of leadership that prioritizes people, nature, and culture over profit

It’s no surprise that here, a social enterprise by the name of Mountain Hazelnuts would establish a radical model for social and environmental empowerment — all through regenerative agriculture. By providing free Hazelnut tree saplings to more than 8,900 rural families to the day — and establishing an astonishing system that provides assistance with the growth, harvest, and distribution — Mountain Hazelnuts is planting hope on Bhuthanese land.

We caught up with the team at Mountain Hazelnuts to understand how these nuts, blended in our new spread, stand for something meaningful. Sequestering carbon, preventing landslides, introducing a retirement crop to elders, training women in financial literacy, building a lasting legacy. A beautiful collision of commerce, conservation, and care — materialized in the sweetest, most buttery Hazelnuts.

Tell me about the story of Mountain Hazelnuts. What has been the hope of the project?

Mountain Hazelnuts was established as a private-public partnership with the Royal Government of Bhutan, with the intention of uplifting rural communities and empowering them — all through the regenerative cultivation of Hazelnuts. This diversifies sources of income for rural smallholders, gives value back to their land, and results in a really high value crop that’s only going to get more valuable with time.

“The lifespan of these trees is anywhere from 70-100 years, and farmers have told us they’re proud to leave them for their children. These trees are their legacy.”

So you provide these trees to farmers, who then sell these Hazelnuts to you. Can you run me through the process?

We provide free Hazelnut saplings to anyone who registers. Once the farmer registers, we go and check if the land meets the criteria. If so, they take the saplings, and our field team comes and advises on plantation layout. From planting to harvest, our field team is always accessible. The company provides all the inputs for farmers to cultivate at no cost. The only obligation is for them to take care of the trees and sell the annual harvest only to us at a price which has been agreed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. We link rural smallholder farmers to domestic and international markets directly, which provides much less risk for them.

What has Mountain Hazelnuts brought to the farming community of Bhutan?

Opportunity. For the household, these Hazelnuts are usually additional income. They’re not stopping production of anything else, because they’re usually planted on land that is fallow, degraded or too steep to cultivate. Some slopes are very steep and nothing else would grow easily, but we found Hazelnut trees like it. A woman told us her land used to be rocks, and now she has 3 acres of thriving Hazelnuts. She’s able to pay for her granddaughter’s school expenses through Hazelnut production.

It also brings social opportunity. We provide financial literacy training for women and encourage farmers to open bank accounts. We are doing something to impact people's lives. There’s a lot of optimism and gratitude. Today we have more than 8,900 growing partners in 19 of Bhutan’s 20 districts.

“A woman told us her land used to be rocks, and now she has 3 acres of thriving Hazelnuts. She’s able to pay for her granddaughter’s school expenses through Hazelnut production.”

Has it changed the way Bhutanese people relate to farming?

Absolutely. Bhutan in the last 20 years has had a big rural to urban migration. We wanted to show that this kind of agriculture can be commercially viable to attract young people back to the villages. But also, a lot of the village people that remain have become very old. Hazelnuts are a great retirement crop because they’re less labor intensive.

Tell me more about that.

Most of these farmers are used to cultivating paddy, which is very demanding, so Hazelnuts in comparison are a walk in the park. Bhutanese people are like mountain goats. And farming is a way of life. Some of the communities gather and the neighbors help pick the annual Hazelnut harvest together. It’s always done by hand, throughout the entire country. Our field staff come and carry it down to their cars and bikes.

In what other ways do you extend assistance?

A lot of our growers can’t read. We put together training videos that are very visual so they can follow. There are translations for each of the languages spoken in the different regions of Bhutan. We also created a Bright Spots Program where we select interested growers, and take them to other villages with model growers who train and share what they’ve learned. Most growers have never left their district. So this provides them with a way to travel and exchange culture and sustainable agricultural practices.

“We provide financial literacy training for women and encourage farmers to open bank accounts. We are doing something to impact people's lives. There’s a lot of optimism and gratitude.”

How does the pristine environment of Bhutan affect the quality of these Hazelnuts?

We’ve had consistent feedback that these Hazelnuts are sweeter, bigger, more buttery, higher in moisture. We had an expert come to test them, and we think it’s because this is the first time they’ve been cultivated at this elevation. It’s so remote, our field team has to make roads to get to some of these rural locations. They hack their way into these fields, where no vehicles have come in the last 10 or so years. And sometimes they have to abandon the car and walk for 2 hours with a basket. And there in the middle of a remote rural village, are our Hazelnuts.

Does the spiritual identity of Bhutan come into play at all?

Absolutely. When the villagers first receive the saplings, some do a purification ritual before plantation. At the start of any grafting, we hold a ritual with a monk to bless the scion wood and make the grafting auspicious and successful. When the first harvest comes to the factory, we also hold a small ritual. It’s not just about mass production. All these small holder farmers have a relationship to these trees and their land, and we hold that very sacredly.

What is the ecological impact of these Hazelnuts?

Carbon sequestration. We’re predicting that for all the trees that are planted, 500 metric tons of CO2e will be sequestered in the next 30 years. It’s also great for preventing land erosion during monsoons and increasing nutrient retention in the soil. Since the slopes are so steep, these trees prevent landslides, which is bringing back biodiversity and helping the whole ecosystem.

What about the social impact?

Providing annual additional income to rural communities. Particularly to women. Almost half of our partners are women, and many of them are considered “lead growers,” which enhances their position in society. Also, the skilling of people. These trees require extensive grafting to make orchards climate resilient, so we skill locals in the area and teach them this very important farming technique which they can then apply elsewhere. Overall, the creation of job opportunities in rural Bhutan is incredible.

“We’re predicting that for all the trees that are planted, 500 metric tons of CO2e will be sequestered in the next 30 years.”

What does this partnership mean to you?

We were so thrilled to find a partner that shares our same values. To find someone that cares about sustainability, the farmer, and the quality of the product in equal measure. Just the fact that we are having this call… It’s a great thing for the Bhutanese story to be told.