By Gustaf Kugelberg
With support from the DINZ Marketing Innovation Fund, our team in Scandinavia is ploughing ahead with retail marketing activity in Sweden.
Our task is to inform consumers that NZ farm-raised venison is a premium game meat, different from long-held perceptions of venison. By presenting a range of easy-to-cook cuts like leg fillets and medallions along with recipes, we give foodies in Sweden the opportunity to experience a taste of NZ venison in their own homes.
Demonstrations - Time to burn the shoe leather
Since the end of January, in-store demonstrations have been back. In conjunction with Argentine premium beef UMI, a recent in-store demonstration demonstrated venison medallions.
Competition For Customers
In the three weeks leading up to Easter, our in-market team ran a competition for customers. The competition achieved 700,000 views on Instagram posts & 450,000 views on Instagram stories.
The prize was a copy of Henning Kvicks's book 'Meat Cravings' and entry into a draw for a sample carton of Mountain River cuts.
A few Mountain River aprons were also given away.
We had 200 competitors enter by registering for the newsletter on our website.
As a result, we received some great recipes. One winner presented Tataki-style venison with romanesco broccoli, ponzu mayo, green onion, and a drizzle of ponzu sauce.
The dish was posted on Instagram @wallerbladish. Another winner posted @daggesmat a venison hamburger with sriracha ketchup, silver onion, and cheddar cheese topped with mayo mixed with lime and garlic.
Food Service: Blackstone Restaurants & Menigo Food Fair
We haven’t forgotten foodservice, which is recovering well after the Covid disruption. Blackstone, an early adopter of the Mountain River special cuts, continues to have a lot of success with 200g of our leg fillet option in their 14 restaurants.
We participated at the Menigo in-house fair on Tuesday for foodservice & retail – Sundsvall – in the old town hall. Chef Shannon Campbell presented with Mikael (Mountain River team).
Gustaf commented, "Today's fair was very good with a big interest for the cuts we presented – Tri-tip and Bolar. Shannon made a Tartar/Sushi meal that drew big interest, and the tri-tip we sliced and just served with some sea salt on top to show the exquisite taste."
In-store demos resume in Sweden
The first in-store tasting demo was held after imposed restrictions to flatten the Omicron curve at a top-end Stockholm supermarket - ICA Taby Centrum.
The star of the tasting was the launch of our venison mince pack - hjortfärs.
Gustaf commented, “it was a busy day. We refilled the freezer many times. The tasting was fried mince and medallions. The mince was served in a lettuce leaf with a topping of soy sauce mixed with Mayo - a special composition by Mikael.”
The team gave out 300 servings and sold 76 packs of mince and 89 packs of medallions for the day.
The English version of the recipe is available on the website at: www.mountainrivereu.com/recipes/korean-minced-venison-in-salad-leaves
Pleasing Website Results
The www.mountainrivereu.com site continues to engage consumers by supporting venison experiences with chef recommendations and an expanding range of recipes.
Continued growth in visitor numbers gives us the confidence we are heading in the right direction. Since the start of October 2021, we have had 2800 visitors. The majority are from Stockholm, 58% male and 42% female. Statistics report that 62% of visitors are 34-44 years which is the age group we want to meet with. The target is health-conscious people with good income. Feedback from our demonstrations gives the same feedback: consumers are open to eating Venison all around the year.
Over the next six months leading up to next autumn, we have other product launches planned. They will expand the range of products and channels for consumers to choose premium Mountain River venison.
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