Donald Whyte and the Mountain River Venison team enjoyed receiving an impromptu customer compliment at Hearthstone Restaurant.
The couple were dining upstairs and heard that the people who supplied the elk on the menu were downstairs. They wanted to thank the group for what we do as venison producers.
The customer complimented the team and expressed "heartfelt thanks to all the Kiwis who raise elk for our benefit."
By chance, the customer had previously worked in an international trade role dealing with New Zealanders for a long time. He then amusingly joked that they complained about lamb and dairy back then, but they really love our elk!
The customer, who had been involved in WTO negotiations, referring to the elk, noted: "When trade is this good - everyone wins."
The Mountain River Venison team observed that on the day, the restaurant had nearly the entire supply chain from farm to the paddock to plate in the building.
Find out more:
Hearthstone Restaurant: www.hearthstonebreck.com