Mountain River venison is now sold into a number of different export markets and the company’s ability to diversify product has been critical to its survival.
Ian says when the business first started most of their venison went to Germany. Now Germany is a small market and the United States, Switzerland, Scandinavia and China are more important to the company. France was also once one of Mountain River’s biggest customers – now it is one of their smallest because they are competing in that market with feral deer imported from Spain.
While China has potential as a market it is, Ian explains, fraught with difficulty thanks to a myriad of red tape and documentation requirements.
Along with their markets, Mountain River’s product list has changed from about 15 cuts when they first started to a list that easily fills two A4 pages.
“That is how we have survived,” Ian says.
John Sadler, who is based in Auckland, travels to the plant to work alongside product manager Shane Webster to try out new cuts to meet the needs of an ever-changing global market.
“John comes up with the ideas, Shane works with him and away they go.”
From selling legs and shoulders, they are now cutting some products down to 120g and Ian and Kerry are grateful they have the staff with the skills to do this cutting.
As far as starting up a business is concerned, Mountain River could not have timed it better.
While they had intended to initially operate on a small scale slaughtering one day and processing the next, the demise of Fortex while they were still building the plant meant they were very quickly killing every day.
It also meant there were a number of experienced meat plant workers in the area looking for work – with 90% of their staff ex-Fortex, the company inherited valuable processing plant experience.
They started out killing 110-120 head a day with the first animals coming from the Hood family’s Mt Hutt Station. And with no Fortex local deer farmers had nowhere to send their deer so for them Mountain River was a godsend.
Competition did emerge when both PPCS (later Silver Fern Farms) and Alliance began to kill deer. Ian admits Mountain River used to spend a lot of time worrying about what
the competition was up to but a collective decision was made to just focus on their own business. Ian says this was the best decision they ever made although PPCS did cause him many sleepless nights.
In their first chilled season PPCS was paying $50 an animal more than Mountain River could at the time. Ian says he spent all day and half the night on the phone explaining to farmers and agents why they were paying less than PPCS.
Deer come to Mountain River from all over the South Island.
Lasting legacy
Mountain River is a company that is light on its feet in its ability to adapt and change. What hasn’t changed though is the people behind the business.
The brainchild of Mary and the late Doug Hood, Mountain River is still under the
umbrella of Doug Hood Ltd which also incorporates Doug Hood Mining and Northbank Station, an award-winning deer farm next to the processing factory managed by James Silcock.
Doug’s widow Mary is the managing director of Doug Hood Ltd while Mountain River general manager Ian Stewart is a director as well as Kevin Davies, who is also manager of Doug Hood Mining.
Terry Lock, who worked for Goughs for many years, joined Mary as a director of Doug Hood Ltd a few years ago and Ian says he has made a valuable contribution to the business.
Ian says Mary plays a very active role in the business and offers a great deal of support and encouragement.
“She is an amazing woman with great foresight and determination. Many a man or woman in her position would have taken to the hills years ago – not Mary, she is always there for us all.”
Early days
During the first few years of operation Mountain River implemented what they called a market-related pool system.
This meant farmers were fully paid for their meat, co-products and anything else related to income from deer.
“While the farmer did have to wait a bit longer on payment the scheme worked very well and some still say it was a brilliant concept at the time,” general manager Ian Stewart says.
