The award, which was presented by society president Tim Aman at the nut growers' annual meeting in Portland, is given to those who have unselfishly given time to further the Oregon hazelnut industry and community.

This is only the third time in the 42-year history of the award that a husband and wife have won it.

"Rob and Sally Hilles are very deserving of the honor," said Polly Owen, who manages several Oregon hazelnut organizations. "Together they have created a vertically integrated hazelnut operation. They begin with micropropagated nursery stock and end with a wonderful quality selection of hazelnuts they offer from their farm store, Hazelnut Hill, just south of Corvallis."

The Hilleses grow and process only kernel varieties and sell their entire production through their website and retail store, which Sally manages.

Nut products, which often undergo extensive consumer taste-testing, are shipped throughout the world from their Century Farm, which Sally's family homesteaded in 1853.

Rob is on the Oregon Hazelnut Commission, where he has been instrumental in the selection of new varieties being released, Owen said. "He works closely with Oregon State University in evaluating varieties before they are released. He also grows many varieties, and he and Sally evaluate them for their quality as inclusion in candies."

Sally is responsible for the creation of their products, from "just nuts" to candies to flours, butter, ice cream and gift packs.

"She is also deserving of a second award as she has sold more of the Hazelnut Marketing Board cookbooks, 'Oregon Hazelnut Country - The Food, the Drink, the Spirit' than any other entity," Owen said.

"Rob and Sally have a passion for all things hazelnut that is infectious, to say the least," Owen said. "They are not just an inspiration to growers. They are telling the hazelnut story to the public every day. Their endeavors help raise the awareness of hazelnuts and the positive aspects of hazelnut production."

"Rob sees the big picture well. He's the classic innovator," said OSU Extension agent Ross Penhallegon. "He's very open-minded. From the very beginning he saw the market in kernels because no one was really doing that."

Penhallegon said that the Hilleses have provided an important link between the OSU breeding program and commercial evaluation of new cultivars. "We have the research side and then we have the application side, and we need to make sure the (new cultivars) do well for a number of years (in commercial orchards). We're still in that discovery stage."

-- John Schmitz