Sep 24, 2026
Greenstone’s venison category is outperforming the industry volume growth rate of 30%.
Lynda Gray, Deer Industry News Editor
Brian Holland
The opportunity for New Zealand farmed venison is real; the limiting factor is supply. Those are two of the big messages from Greenstone Meats Vice President U.S. Sales, Brian Holland.
“Making sure we have supply is the big one. If we don’t, it puts our retail programme at risk,” he says.
Greenstone volume sales of NZ farmed venison have grown about 30 percent year-on-year, most of the increase due to increased retail demand.
Retail growth was driven by customers preference for leaner, nutrient-dense, high-quality protein. The launch of GLP-1 weight loss medications has accelerated the need for high-protein meal solutions in the United States, and New Zealand farmed venison has those exact credentials, giving retailers the confidence to try it.
The North American Retail Accelerator (NARA) programme has played a crucial role in building retail momentum.
“It’s helped in educating retailers, building customer awareness, and developing the venison category, which individual suppliers would be unable to do.”
Specific Greenstone developments and successes over the last two years include the launch of venison in more than 200 Giant Company stores; a 100 percent volume growth year-on-year with Albertsons, a major North American supermarket chain; and the introduction of venison medallions.
NARA has also created industry alignment of NZ farmed venison suppliers.
“A coordinated New Zealand approach I think benefits your industry as a whole, both farmers and processors.”
The U.S. retail and NZ farmed venison relationship has grown off the one-pound brick of ground venison. Ground meat – beef, chicken, turkey, pork – is a go-to and familiar product for many home cooks. They feel comfortable on how to prepare it, so it was a logical “foot in the door.”
NARA has delivered support by building awareness through several marketing programmes. These include digital campaigns on platforms such as Instagram, sharing venison recipes, and identifying where to buy product.
Greenstone has also increased farmed venison visibility at major industry events such as the Fancy Food Show and the Annual Meat Conference. Collectively, these initiatives were building credibility for the product and the New Zealand brand.
“The country of origin, New Zealand, has helped establish immediate credibility with our customers. They view your farmers and their production systems as regenerative and sustainable.
They also correlate New Zealand with high standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship, and that instantly lends credibility to our Greenstone [farmed venison] brand, Four Seasons.”
Retail customers now view venison as an everyday protein rather than a treat, because it was satisfying their demand for a nutrient-dense and high-protein product to fit with active lifestyles and modern eating habits.
Farmed venison sits in the premium price category, alongside lean beef and lamb, but was often the preferred choice.
“The difference is that venison, when compared to conventional domestic U.S. beef, offers greater value because of its attributes. It’s grass-fed and has nutritional and sustainability attributes.
“I think [farmed venison’s] premium position creates an opportunity for sustainable growth throughout the supply chain.”
For Greenstone, further retail developments include investigation into launching a private label for farmed venison to Albertsons, which would give “instant access” to 2500 stores.
Greenstone is also looking to expand the range of leg and shoulder cuts to improve utilisation.
Asked how our farmed venison industry could further leverage off the retail inroads into North America, Brian suggests more “customer-facing” research.
“There's a big push at retail for fact-based selling. I think research providing evidence that venison is a high-nutrient and high-protein food that keeps you full for longer is what you should focus on. Communicating the strengths of New Zealand farmed venison could be very powerful in supporting category growth.”
He commends the industry on the significant progress made, especially through programmes like NARA, which has helped open doors that didn't exist a few years ago.
“I think continuing to focus on quality, consistency, animal welfare, genetics, and telling the New Zealand, grass-fed venison story is going to be important in the growth of the category. That’s the message I would like to pass on to New Zealand farmers.”
This story appears in Deer Industry News September 2026.
