MEET YOUR {OUTSTANDING} MAKER - PREMIUM GAME
Sometimes words just don’t do justice, but last year the ONZFPA judges hit the nail on the head, deeming Marlborough’s very own Premium Game a “good sustainable strategy. Innovative. Reducing pests. Employing people.” Simply put, they know how to run a great kiwi business!
Gold medal winners in the 2021 Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards for their Premium Game 21 Day Aged Venison, the outstanding makers at Premium Game have given themselves quite the challenge. They are the only New Zealand company supplying rabbit, venison, wild pork, tahr and more, Premium Game meets the needs of Aotearoa’s most dedicated meat-lovers.
Premium Game Directors, Darren Clifford and his brother Nick are keen hunter-gatherers who found themselves in the business after leaving the honey and food engineering industry to perfect their ‘peak-to-plate’ food experience. This pair of foodies believe all consumers should have access to top quality wild meats that are caught and prepared stress-free for the finest flavour. Premium Game’s biggest challenge as a sustainable brand is working with the natural environment, providing consistent varieties of meat for customers against the changing seasons.
“I think the thing that keeps us going is the passion we see from our customers. What drives us is enthusiasm from our customers and their feedback makes us come to work and enjoy working every morning,” Darren says. When you consider busy lives and how little time many of us have to get out in nature and the increasing price of quality food, it’s clear why the growing team at Premium Game are respected for their hard work.
Their sustainable kaupapa allows consumers to feel good about enjoying Premium Game meat. Increasing wild-game populations introduced to New Zealand endanger the country’s fragile, precious ecosystem. Premium Game’s mission to work alongside skilled hunters and butchers helping to ethically control these pests in a way that serves both the land and hungry kiwis, provides healthy and chemical-free meats.
Darren laughs when asked what he does with his free time, saying that it’s more of a commodity in this business than most. When pockets of sunshine and weekends off work appear, Darren still loves to hunt, fish and dive for fun. Delightfully biased, his favourite spot to chill out in New Zealand is the South Island’s Marlborough Sounds or huddled around their back country hut campfire, probably chewing on his favourite Premium Game product; venison steak.
Learn more about Premium Game here.