New venison products lead to price recovery
New Zealand venison exports are recovering in the United States and European markets, and finding favour in the Chinese market, says Deer Industry New Zealand (Dinz).
Nick Taylor, venison marketing manager at Dinz, said New Zealand venison exporters were hard hit by Covid-19 lockdowns. The food service sector could not operate in many countries as customers were stuck at home.
The end of lockdowns meant markets were slowly recovering, he said. The greater European, German and US markets respectively took about 3000 tonnes of New Zealand venison a year.
China imported about 1600 tonnes last year after marketers from the industry did foundation work among Chinese chefs and consumers about how to use venison, Taylor said.
As exports normalised, local deer farmers were receiving better prices for their venison.
The peak of Covid-19 meant low demand in the market and a low of about $5 a kilogram at the farm gate, Taylor said.
Farm gate prices for venison animals last week were almost 50% above last April’s average national price.
The current price was between $7.95 a kilogram and $8.05 a kilogram. This was close to the five-year national average of $7.96 a kilogram, Taylor said.
A DINZ report showed more than 6000 retail packs of Alliance’s New Zealand venison were sold in China since the start of the year.
Alliance Group marketing manager for Asia, Ethel Wong, said at the end of December venison rolls and brisket cubes were added to the Grand Farm range on jd.com.
The website was China’s second-largest e-commerce retailer. Grand Farm was an Alliance partner.
‘‘In the first month more than 400 packs were sold, which is very good for a protein that not many people in China eat,’’ Wong said.
Venison had a relatively high retail price compared to beef and lamb, she said.
The 300g pack of venison rolls retails at the equivalent of $11.20 and 500g packs of brisket cubes at $15.70, the report showed.
The meat roll was a familiar format for Chinese customers and was used in traditional hot pot cuisine. Rolls were dipped in boiling stock with other ingredients.
Rolls were made by using venison extracted from the flaps and brisket. This was compacted and sliced thinly to a one-millimetre thickness, said Wong.
The Alliance and Grand Farm teams were researching new products that would resonate with Chinese customers.
Wong said the jd.com ecommerce website emphasised the New Zealand origin of the venison and New Zealand’s grassfed production practices.
Venison leg meat, which could be sliced and diced at home, and leg cubes, were introduced to the range last month. The products were four of nine new products planned by the co-operative.
The four products were also sold in two retailers with stores in five cities, Wong said.
China was New Zealand’s fourth-largest market by volume, Taylor said.