A delegation from the New Zealand deer industry has delivered a taste of venison to China and South Korea to help gain more space for NZ venison on Asian menus.
The region is more commonly associated with exports of NZ deer velvet, but venison is starting to make strong inroads into China.
By 2023, China had grown to be NZ’s second-largest market for venison by value, after the United States.
The delegation included Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) executive chair Mandy Bell, marketing staff and executive chef Graham Brown, who created special dinners showcasing deer industry products in both countries.
While in the region the group met with NZ Ambassador to China Grahame Morton and trade officials who are working with their counterparts in China to help finalise market access arrangements for deer velvet following China’s streamlining of domestic regulations.
The DINZ delegation began its meetings in the northern regions of Xifeng and Changchun, where deer velvet is mainly grown and processed.
Joining the group in China was Shanghai-based Felix Shen, who has taken up a part-time role as DINZ China representative, following a successful stint as local liaison for the China Deer Velvet Coalition, a group of three NZ velvet exporters.
After meetings in Beijing focused on trade issues, the group moved to Shanghai, where they hosted a special dinner with guests including trade contacts, customers and media.
Working alongside Brown to create the menu for the special dinner was chef Xijin Wu, who is also helping promote NZ venison’s profile in China.
For Wu, the culinary director for several Shanghai restaurants, the special dinner was the second leg of an epic journey to strengthen trade ties between the two countries.
In November last year he was part of a group of six leading chefs from China invited to NZ by food and beverage interests, including NZ Venison, under the Ends of Earth initiative.
Brown also spent time in the city with Shanghai-based Kiwi Hunter McGregor, who imports and distributes venison in China, visiting chefs in the city and demonstrating how to prepare the product.
At a separate event at chef Wu’s restaurant, invited chefs were treated to a more Chinese-themed menu showing how venison could be used in smaller portions in items such as dumplings.
From China the DINZ delegation visited South Korea.
DINZ assistant manager markets Virginia Connell said the trip provided an ideal opportunity to connect with Korean companies that import NZ velvet and use it in their products.
“It was also useful to be able to update them on the implications of changing market access arrangements in China,” Connell said.
A highlight of the visit was a dinner hosted by NZ’s Ambassador Dawn Bennet at her residence in Seoul, where guests including leading chefs, food influencers, trade officials and ambassadorial staff dined on full menu of chef Brown’s venison-based dishes.
DINZ market manager Rhys Griffiths said the event was designed to learn more about the potential for venison in Korea and plant the seeds for growth in that market as more product, particularly leg cuts, becomes available.
“We were interested to see if there were any obvious barriers to acceptance of venison for fine dining in Korea, around qualities like taste, texture and colour.
“The response from the chefs who attended was very positive, with texture voted the most impressive aspect.
“We are encouraged to take the next steps needed to start stimulating interest and developing a market,” Griffiths said.
Connell said venison in Korea could benefit from an association with the same health and fitness qualities valued in deer velvet, NZ’s main deer product export to that country.
Most of the chefs sampling the venison dishes said health benefits could be key to attracting customers to try venison in their restaurants.
Griffiths and Connell made a short stopover in Taiwan on their return journey to meet with trade and company representatives.
Connell said NZ venison is starting to be noticed in Taiwan, where companies such as Korea Ginseng Corporation are also a developing market for modern healthy food products featuring NZ deer velvet.
