Oct 31, 2025
New Zealand venison for sale in a European supermarket
DINZ CEO Rhys Griffiths and Market Activation Manager Virginia Connell recently returned from the European market, where they visited five countries, meeting with several in-market partners, and attended the Anuga trade show – the largest food and beverage show of its kind, held every two years. They have returned heartened and excited to give the market a more strategic look.
Europe has historically been more of a commodity market, acknowledging the chilled seasonal bonuses for producers targeting foodservice during the game season. After COVID and the collapse of the global restaurant trade, DINZ and the New Zealand exporters started to explore greater value in other markets and channels to diversify demand, such as targeting North America and retail channels through the North American Retail Accelerator programme.
While there is still a sizeable commodity trade of venison in Europe, Griffiths came away encouraged by the number of companies actively seeking to add value. Noticeably, these were companies and people who cared about the provenance of New Zealand venison, who believed in it as a product and the power of the brand behind it.
“My impression of Europe is a lot more nuanced now,” says DINZ CEO Rhys Griffiths. “It really is a market of two sides, with one side in that traditional commodity space, yes, but the other in a more growth-oriented, value-added space. And it’s that side of the market that is really exciting.”
“From micro-economies like London, where food service is still going strong, to some great work going on in the Nordic states, to a growing appetite to feature venison year-round instead of relying on the traditional game season, all these represent significant opportunity for getting better value for New Zealand venison in the European market."
Some of what is driving strong demand in Europe is a macro situation, driven by the global protein shortage, but there were some common themes across the countries and partners – areas where New Zealand deer farmers as producers and venison as the product are already strong in.
“Sustainability is big right now,” says Virginia Connell, “but in a facts-and-figures kind of way, not just beautiful scenery and marketing slogans. Verification and traceability are increasingly important, and these need to be backed by strong land stewardship and genuine environmental considerations.
“The other theme that came through loud and clear was the increasing focus on nutrition. Not just the growing awareness around the nutritional profiles of food and specifically proteins, of which we all know that venison is king, but also the impact that weight loss and hunger suppressant drugs like Ozempic [and Wegovy here in New Zealand] will have on the food and beverage industry.”
“Overall, it was a seriously informative market visit, and one that DINZ is excited to reflect on with a bit more of a strategic lens, to really hone on in those areas and partners looking to add value along the supply chain.”
