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08 Oct 2015
1 min read

"FERRERO HAZELNUT AWARD CONTEST” AWARD CEREMONY AT EXPO MILANO 2015

Contest Expo 2015

The award ceremony of the “FERRERO HAZELNUT AWARD CONTEST” took place at EXPO Milan 2015: an award that is focused on financing and improving research and innovation in the hazelnut sector.

The award launched by the Ferrero Hazelnut Company – which, as explained by Managing Director Lucio Gomiero – aims at developing the hazelnut industry on a worldwide scale, presenting itself as a benchmark for innovation, best farming practices and environmental sustainability”.
We are very satisfied with this initiative – commented Mauro Fontana, Technical Scientific Director of Soremartec – as it has led to the participation of many university graduates and researchers, non-profit research and training institutes around the world, who submitted their projects on improvement, innovation, sustainability and new strategies relative to hazelnut cultivation”.

The first prize of 150,000 euros was awarded to the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Carillanca (Chile), for its project "Improvement hazelnut production incorporating novel technologies for the most important world production areas". The second prize was awarded to the Perugia University (Italy), for its project "New cultivation system for more profitable and sustainable hazelnut growing". In third place was the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologias Agroalimentàries, Torre Marimon, Caldes de Montbui (Spain), in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Forestry and Food (DISAFA) at the Torino University (Italy), and the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Forestry and Food (SAF) at Palermo University (Italy), for the project "Developing a modern hazelnut industry by innovative crop technology and plant material".
The second and third positions each received an award of 5,000 euros.

Two special mentions were dedicated to the ENEA Casaccia for its project “Morenut: merging innovation and traditions to boost hazelnut sustainable economic development”, and to the Università della Tuscia for its project “Metagenomic and non-destructive sensor for microbiome mapping and nut quality in hazelnut chain: metasensnut”.

The project submissions were received, evaluated and adjudicated by an external, independent scientific committee, established at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Piacenza and coordinated by Professor Lorenzo Morelli, Dean Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, according to a series of criteria rewarding innovation, sustainability, transferability, and timeframe applicability.
Participants at the event included international sector experts such as Thomas Molnar, Jean-Luc Reigne, Marco Scortichini and Ximena Rueda.
This award further confirms the Ferrero Group’s ongoing commitment to excellence in quality and innovationto its constant research in sustainable agricultural practices and its respect for the environment, all elements that have determined its global success.

Lucio Gomiero and the HCo Team

Ferrero began its journey in the small town of Alba in Piedmont, Italy, in 1946. Today, it is one of the world’s largest sweet-packaged food companies, with over 35 iconic brands sold in more than 170 countries. The Ferrero Group brings joy to people around the world with much-loved treats and snacks, including Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac® and Ferrero Rocher®. With over 47,000 employees, we are passionate about helping people celebrate life's special moments. The Ferrero Group, now in its third generation, is based on family values with a dedication to quality and excellence, heritage, and a commitment to the planet and communities in which we operate.