Merchant of Venison is based in Tai Tapu located just out of Christchurch.
We buy & sell New Zealand Farmed Venison that is locally sourced from farms around the South Island by Mountain River Venison - a specialist venison producer in New Zealand.
The Mountain River farms and factory are located by the Rakaia River, which flows from the mountainous Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean.
Mountain River deer are farmed on the lush pastures in the South Island of New Zealand, contributing to the advantages of a farmed product - consistency, premium quality and continuity of supply. All deer are supplied by our farmers in the South Island, New Zealand.
Our deer are raised with pride on family owned farms with a commitment to sustainability and animal welfare. They are free range farmed on open pasture. Mountain River deer are never fed hormones, steroids or antibiotic supplements and our farmers take great care in raising deer to supply Mountain River Venison's customers around the world.
Our story
James has been working in the Venison Industry since 1988 where he started out with Mountain River Processors in the boning room. He started supplying Venison cuts to Restaurants, Supermarkets & Butcheries soon after in the Christchurch area. Angela joined the team in 2009 and since then we have steadily been growing the business New Zealand wide.
Here at Merchant of Venison we enjoy working with the customer to source the very best cuts for their business, and gain great satisfaction in supplying the customer with a unique cut that creates that point of difference.
We are able to source any part of the animal from the head to the tail including offals and fresh Venison blood, alongside all of the premium cuts. We pride ourselves in being involved with collecting & supplying the Blood for New Zealand’s 2017 Sausage of the Year, a Boudin Noir made by a small local French butcher in Akaroa, Canterbury.
“Simply the best venison from the South
Island, if not all of New Zealand. Consistently,
my biggest seller”
— Paul Howell, Head Chef & co-owner of Twenty Seven Steps
New Regent Street, Christchurch.
100% Grass to Plate
New Zealand is the premier producer of venison worldwide. Our deer are farm raised,
grass fed and free from hormones or antibiotics
Venison is lean, low in fat, cholesterol, and calories, and high in iron..
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, venison has one-fifth of the fat and 100 fewer calories per 3.5 ounce serving of beef.
Red meat is one of the best sources of easily-absorbable iron, and venison contains more iron than both beef and lamb. Venison is also classified as a “nutrient-dense” source of protein because it’s packed with many nutrients required for good health, like zinc and a number of B vitamins including B12.
In addition to being healthier, hormone free meat is generally tastier than its hormoneladen counterpart. That's because animals stuck in crowded feedlots and inundated with hormones and grains don't develop the same kind of lean, tasty muscles that grass fed, free range animals do.
Grass feeding means the meat has less total fat. More heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. More conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that's thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks. More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E.