For over two thousand years, Turkey has been home to the hazelnut. In fact, Turkey is the first world hazelnut producer and exporter. In addition, it covers approximately 70 percent and 82 percent of the world`s production and export respectively. It is followed by Italy with nearly 20 percent in production and 15 percent in export. Turkish hazelnuts are known for their sweet, exotic flavor which is sweet and buttery but smoky, woody and rich with a distinctive texture and many health benefits. They are classified in two distinctive categories based on their crop location, level of skin separation and fat content percentage.