AFR Winner

Employees: 500+

Deer were considered impossible to milk until Pāmu entered a unique R&D partnership with a farming family, creating a new category of products involving innovations across the supply chain. This world first involves hinds milked in individual stalls. All equipment, from the milking system, to freezing and storage, was custom-designed to meet the unique requirements of the delicate milk produced. No one has ever produced deer milk products at scale. Working with R&D partners saw solutions to the manufacture of the milk into high grade powders, and supply to premium restaurants in Australasia and Hong Kong. Deer milk has double the fat and protein of cow’s milk giving it a rich, creamy flavour profile. Its components work together differently to give a unique cooking and eating experience.

As a world-first ingredient, Pāmu has created new markets and partnerships to commercialise the products and trained chefs in top restaurants throughout NZ, Australia and Hong Kong on how to prepare desserts utilizing deer milk. The development of deer milk as a key ingredient in a range of cosmetics followed with Korean pharmaceutical giant Yuhan. This partnership moved quickly taking just 12 months to see these world-first products hit the shelves in Korea.