The state of Oregon plays a big role in creating Christmas cheer around the nation and the world. From hazelnuts to Christmas trees, Oregon agricultural businesses account for the majority of crops consumed by other states and international markets during the holiday season.
In fact, other states buy 40 percent of Oregon’s $3.68 billion agricultural products and other countries buy another 40 percent, leaving the last 20 percent of homegrown trees and nuts for Oregonians to enjoy, said Bruce Pokarney, director of communications for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
“We don’t have the population to use what we produce,” Pokarney said. “We rely more heavily on export than most states do.”
Oregon contains many Christmas traditions within its state borders — producing holiday classics such as reindeer and Christmas trees on farms — and California and other southwestern states rely on Oregon for Christmas trees, Pokarney said.
Oregon also exports other crops to other states and countries, ranging from hazelnuts — Oregon grows 95 percent of the $39 million national market — to the $32 million
peppermint oil market that is popularly used in candy canes. These two markets are overshadowed by the $158 million Christmas tree market and the even larger $700 million greenhouse/nursery market, but hazelnuts and peppermint oil maintain a dominant market unrivaled by any other state or country.
The Christmas days of old are meeting the Internet generation, with many Oregon-based businesses expanding online to meet the overwhelming demand from other states and foreign markets.
One company meeting this outside demand is Freddy Guys Filberts, which sells hazelnuts grown from its 60-acre orchard in Monmouth, Ore.
Jocie Foulke, who helps to run the family-owned orchard, said many of the crops produced go to a larger co-op, but the remaining crops are sold through the Farmers’ Market and on the orchard’s Web site, www.freddyguys.com.
“We’re shipping worldwide and get orders from out-of-state,” Foulke said. “We get out-of-state business from visitors who come to Oregon’s farmer markets and get our hazelnuts and want to continue buying them when they get back home.”
The larger Made in Oregon company, spanning 10 stores across the state, receives an outside market from its online component, www.madeinoregon.com. The Web site received 15,000-18,000 customers over the holiday season, representing an eighth of the company’s sales, Dawn Malchow, assistant to buyers, said.
During the Christmas season, Made in Oregon stores sold gift packs with sausages and cheese from Tillamook and Bandon, Malchow said.
“Since we’re only from Oregon it’s a benefit to the state,” Malchow said. “Business was great this year.”
Malchow said online purchases were also made by tourists who keep coming back for more of what the state has to offer.
Most of Made in Oregon’s online sales are gift packs, which Malchow said consist of a “little bit of everything,” including cheese, jams, sausage and hazelnuts. Another popular item sold during the Christmas season is lavender. Pokarney said while Christmas provides a boost for agriculture sales with specialty crops like Christmas trees, much of the crops Oregon produces have strong sales throughout the year.
“Christmas is a great spotlight time — a time to feature (Christmas crops)– but if you take away Christmas you’d still have a strong agriculture market.” Pokarney said. “Most of our products are year-round.”

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