Imagine opening a jar of Nutella, harvested from hazelnuts grown in the Garden State. That’s an ultimate vision of Rutgers University researchers working with a $170,000 research grant from Ferrero Group. The Italian-based company, which also owns Ferrero Rocher, announced the funds in November to be disbursed over a four-year span.

That was in addition to $60,000 from a partnership with Ferrero that started in 2020. New Jersey has already been a trailblazer in hazelnut growing on the East Coast, supported by research programs led by Thomas Molnar, Associate Professor in the Rutgers University School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.