Mar 27, 2026
Duncan NZ has supplied venison to the United States since Andy Duncan founded the company in 1990, with foodservice long forming the backbone of the business. Restaurants were the natural home for venison, and that market remains vital for the company today, though COVID-era restaurant closures exposed the risks of relying too heavily on a single channel.
In response, Duncan NZ has spent the past five years working with offshore partners to build a stronger retail presence, complementing foodservice by capturing new demand, spreading risk, and positioning venison for growth in an increasingly unpredictable global landscape.
With the support of DINZ through the North American Retail Accelerator (NARA) programme, Duncan NZ is carving out a niche within the retail space. In a market largely dominated by trim-based products, such as ground bricks (mince) and burgers, Duncan NZ is finding success by focussing efforts on other parts of the animal.
“There’s always been good demand for premium middle cuts such as striploin and tenderloin, however these cuts represent less than 10 percent of the carcass, making it difficult to accumulate enough volume to meet demand,” explains Duncan NZ Marketing Manager Chris Duncan. “This is where venison hind legs, which yield 20-30 percent of the carcass, represent a significant marketing opportunity.”
From the early 1990s, Duncan NZ’s strategy was to promote high-quality leg cuts such as the Denver leg to the foodservice industry. In more recent years, Duncan NZ has broadened its strategy to include retail outlets, supplying pre-portioned leg products such as medallions, stew and stir-fry.
“Packaging and branding have a big part to play in this space, but certainly the biggest challenge has been educating consumers. Most red meat-eaters hold a perception that venison leg cuts are too chewy for table steaks, a hangover from bad eating experiences of beef, bison or wild hunted venison.”
Demonstrations at trade shows and seminars led by deer industry chefs Graham Brown and Shannon Campbell have been “hugely instrumental” in changing that negative taste and eating perception.
“We’re showing that with the right preparation and cooking, cuts such as the rump, tri-tip and knuckle can be just as good as a striploin, when produced from young Cervena deer.”
As positive as this sounds, it does beg the question – what happens to the meat from older animals such as cull stags?
“The jerky market is a great outlet for leg cuts from older animals, especially cull stags, which can be too lean for slow-cooking and too tough for table steaks,” Chris says.
Duncan NZ has been supplying jerky products to the United States for several decades, where it’s gone down well with truck drivers who typically buy it at truck stops and service stations.
“Jerky is a popular meat snack produced from all kinds of species, from alligator to ostrich,” explains Duncan.
“Venison has been one of the more popular options, alongside beef and bison.”
In recent years, the protein-rich snack food has found its way onto the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores, leading to a boom in demand. This increased appetite for jerky encouraged Duncan NZ and their partners in market to adapt and refine their range of jerky products.
“It’s a competitive and price sensitive market, but we are standing out from the crowd thanks to collaboration and innovation with our partners in market. Ultimately, we’re adding value to lower quality cuts and better utilising the carcass, which is what it’s all about.”
Other steps to develop a stronger retail presence include the securing of shelf space for venison product displays, the launch of digital marketing campaigns, and attendance at trade shows and seminars to show and explain how New Zealand farmed venison differs, as well as the wider story.
Support from DINZ through the NARA project has been key to implementing this strategy, Duncan says.
For Duncan NZ, a major benefit of NARA has been the DINZ presence at trade shows, which provides a platform to showcase products and connect with customers. Events such as the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago and the Summer Fancy Foods Show in New York represent a huge opportunity, but they also come at significant cost, which can be prohibitive for smaller companies. DINZ has commissioned stands at these shows in recent years, which has economised the process and encouraged collaboration across the five venison exporters, which is healthy and beneficial for everyone.
“It’s enabled us to make inroads into U.S. retail and strengthen our market mix, and there is still a lot of untapped potential in that space. Our relationship with the U.S. started with the restaurant trade, which remains the cornerstone of our business, but diversifying into retail has helped us build a more robust model that will be crucial for long-term success.”
