We source hazelnuts from Italy, the US, and Turkey. Turkey’s Black Sea region produces around 70% of the global hazelnut harvest. We have been working closely with our Turkish hazelnut suppliers since 2014 on implementing sustainable hazelnut programs.

Today, all of our Turkish suppliers are members of the Fair Labor Association (FLA). Following the same structure as the Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program, ensuring supply chain traceability is the first step our suppliers work on. The second step is to support the farmers and workers with training courses. The training for farmers and their wives includes professional agricultural, ecological and social practices. Held both in their home villages in southeastern Turkey and in the Black Sea region, the training for workers focuses on topics such as workers’ rights, occupational health and safety, and health protection in general.

Lindt & Sprüngli will continue to work closely with the Turkish hazelnut suppliers and help them expand and improve their programs. While the positive impact is already being perceived, we are aware that there is still a lot to do to resolve the grievances completely.