Corylus avellana
Origin: New Zealand
Family: Betulaceae
Part used: Nut
A beloved nut with a history stretching back thousands of years, hazelnuts have been cherished since ancient times as both food and medicine. Archaeological finds show evidence of hazelnut consumption as far back as 7,000 BC. In mythology, the hazel tree was often associated with wisdom, inspiration, and protection.
Today, hazelnuts are grown worldwide, but New Zealand’s organic orchards produce nuts with a distinctive freshness and fragrance that we treasure in our chocolate making.
Flavour notes
Sweet, nutty, and earthy with warm roasted undertones. When ground into gianduja, the texture is creamy, silky, and indulgent.
How we use them
We buy in raw, certified organic Waikato grown hazelnuts and roast them to a deep golden brown to unlock their fullest flavour. Each nut is then hand de-skinned to avoid bitterness before being placed into our stone melanger, where they are slowly ground into a smooth paste.
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Plum & Hazelnut (award-winning)
The hazelnuts are ground for 8 hours with just a pinch of Opito Bay salt, then blended with Costa Rican 40% milk chocolate. The result is a silky gianduja that balances nutty richness with the tart sweetness of plum. -
Hazelnut Coffee
Organic coffee beans are added right at the start, grinding alongside the hazelnuts for 12–16 hours. This long, slow process allows the flavours to meld completely, creating a gianduja that’s creamy, aromatic, and full-bodied, where nut and coffee become inseparable.
Unlike many commercial recipes, our giandujas contain no flours, milk powders, or added oils - just nuts and chocolate, kept true to tradition.
History
Gianduja was first created in Turin, Italy, in the early 1800s. During the Napoleonic wars, cocoa supplies were scarce due to trade blockades. Italian chocolatiers stretched their limited cocoa by blending it with finely ground local hazelnuts, producing a smooth, nutty chocolate paste that quickly became a delicacy in its own right.
The result wasn’t just a substitute - it was a revelation. Creamy, aromatic, and indulgent, gianduja became a cornerstone of Italian confectionery and remains one of the world’s most cherished chocolate traditions today.