Highland Game bags Â£500,000 venison deal with Aldi

Aldi hopes shoppers will be lining up to buy Highland Game's venison products

Dundee-based Highland Game has won a Â£500,000 deal to supply Aldi's stores in Scotland with a new range of wild venison products, including burgers, meatballs and steaks.

The firm, founded in 1997 by husband and wife team Christian and Ingela Nissen, will see its produce stocked under the German-owned discount retailer’s Nature’s Glen brand across all 64 of its branches north of the Border until the end of March.

Aldi plans to extend its reach across Scotland

Christian Nissen said: “Venison consumption in the UK has drastically changed over the past decade. When we first began, venison was exported, or mainly sold locally through butchers and delicatessens and my ambition was to change that.

McKechnie Jess is to supply Asda with spicy and curry varieties of haggis. Picture: Ian Georgeson

“Highland Game believed if we could convince people that venison is a healthy, tasty and affordable meat, then we could change perceptions and increase consumption levels at home replacing the more traditional fayre. We’re thrilled to continue working with Aldi in Scotland on new projects as we continue to grow.”

Marion MacCormick, fresh meat buyer for Aldi in Scotland, added: “We worked closely with Highland Game to get this range of wild Scottish venison on our shelves and it is very satisfying to be able to sell Scottish venison when it is in season.”

Meanwhile, Asda said it has awarded Greenock-based haggis maker McKechnie Jess an exclusive deal worth £60,000 to supply spicy and curry variations of Scotland’s national dish.

The grocer said it would be stocking a total of 18 haggis-themed items in the lead-up to Burns Night, and it expects to sell more than 35 tonnes of the delicacy.

Ewan Anderson, sales director at McKechnie Jess, said: “We were inspired to make the curry and chilli flavoured haggis after watching a TV debate about how we eat more curry in Scotland than our national dish, the haggis.

“Whether it’s spicy haggis, haggis pakora or bites, we’re always looking for ways we can put a twist Scotland’s national dish and it’s clear from sales figures there is definitely a strong customer demand.”