 A small number of workers were laid off this month, but the bulk of its 70 employees will lose their jobs later in the fall. It's unclear if they will be offered positions with a potential buyer. Owned by Wilco, Hazelnut Growers of Oregon was founded in 1984 and is the premier hazelnut processor and marketer in the U.S., according to its website. HGO runs a 120,000-square-foot processing plant for more than 200 Oregon growers.