Cargill sheds hazelnut processing business

Cargill's Turkish hazelnut business employees about 70 operators in a processing facility that cleans, roasts, sorts and packages the hazelnuts. The staff at the facility will transfer to Durak Findik, and the transfer of assets expected to be completed by the end of June. The decision to sell comes after a strategic review by Cargill that identified the need to source directly from farmers and also shell hazelnuts. The company said it has made a strategic decision not to invest in these areas and was confident that the business will have a greater chance of growing and reaching its full potential as part of Durak Findik. "Durak Findik has been sourcing and shelling hazelnuts for several years and has been working with us for 10 years," commented Paul Naar, head of Cargill's food ingredients business in Europe and Africa. "Our business is going to a company that shares our focus on quality and high safety standards."