From Pasture to Plate

My passion for good food and a desire to educate the public about the benefits of New Zealand venison has seen my business grow from a weekend farmer’s market project to running a successful processing company.

Let’s take a step back. My husband Tony and I were successful deer farmers in the Hawke’s Bay and the Manawatu for many years. In 2000 we decided to make a change and started our business concept ‘pasture to plate’. We sent our deer to a local abattoir then to a local butcher who cut the meat to our specifications.

Quickly our product range grew and I decided to sell our goods at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers Market. This turned out to be a great testing ground for products and also allowed me to educate consumers about venison and share my love of good food and cooking.

For three years we sold our Woodburn Venison at the markets, but the time commitment was huge and with two children and the business expanding, we just didn’t have the time.

Now we have our own processing, packing and marketing company which I run with the help of nine wonderful staff.

We have a retail shop that is open Monday to Friday. We manufacture a variety of chilled venison cuts and small goods, chef ready or as required by our other retail customers.

While we may have changed our focus from farming to processing, our passion and commitment to New Zealand farmed venison and our own brand of Woodburn Venison, remains as strong as ever.

So much of the marketing I do is convincing the consumer that venison is an easy, versatile product to cook with and which has many health benefits. I enjoy giving people ideas on how venison can be an every day choice. Visit my recipes page and discover the delights of venison for yourself.

Sally Haslett – Director
Woodburn Venison – The Healthy Choice