Known for its leanness, deep colour and rich flavour, venison is a favourite when it comes to red meats – and we love it, too! Lucky for us, we have world-class deer farmers right here in New Zealand who supply My Food Bag with the best of the best. Here are some of the amazing farms where our venison comes from.
Sunnyside setting perfect for deer
Nestled between the Takatimu Mountains, Lake Monowai and Fiordland National Park, Sunnyside Station provides the perfect natural environment for raising deer.
Richard Greer’s family have farmed in the area for 150 years and he, wife Kylie and their two sons George and Griffin are passionate about the idyllic setting, which runs from Waiau River flats into rolling hill country.
Richard, an Alliance Group farmer-shareholder, is also passionate about providing the best natural environment for their deer – and the expert stockmanship required to meet their needs.
Their red deer hinds roam free throughout the year, giving birth to their fawns and raising them in the hills, grazing naturally and sheltered by native beech forest. The result is the most delicious naturally-raised, grass-fed venison – and the Greers are rightly proud of it.
Naturally-raised venison from the sweet land of Sweetacres
Sweetacres farm at Lumsden in Northern Southland takes its name from its ‘sweet land’, says Alliance Group farmer-shareholder Willie Menlove, whose family have farmed there since 1931.
Sweetacres’ red deer hinds are raised in the most natural way possible, roaming the hill country that rolls up from river flats through tussock grasslands with pockets of native beech and broadleaf, and kо̄whai just coming into flower.
Willie and wife Phillipa’s philosophy is to farm in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable, with the welfare of livestock paramount. They see themselves as custodians of the land and want to ‘leave it even better than we took it on’. With the eldest of their three children now studying agriculture, that family passion looks set to endure for a fourth generation too.
There are many fans of their beautiful product, but the biggest has to be Willie’s mum – so whenever he visits, he always takes some along to cook for her.
