Venison pet food businesses Wilder & Hunt and Huntaway Wild go into liquidation owing $1m

Huntaway Pet Food, now in liquidation, sold premium raw venison dog food largely into the United States.

Premium venison dog food retailer Wilder & Hunt and its subsidiary Huntaway Wild owe roughly a combined $1 million as liquidators begin their probe into the companies’ collapse.

The company sold hypoallergenic frozen raw dog food, treats, functional chews and toppers, largely into the US market through a subsidiary incorporated in Delaware called Huntaway Inc.

Huntaway Inc is not currently in liquidation.

The business was also involved in wholesaling human-grade venison into the US market for a period of time.

Both companies had sustained trading losses and required additional investment to continue trading and pay debts as they became due.

However, efforts to obtain the additional funding required were unsuccessful and the shareholders resolved to appoint BDO liquidators Andrew McKay and Rees Logan on October 8.

McKay and Rees confirmed in their first report today that the business continues to trade while assessments are made on various strategies to realise assets of the company, including fixed assets, stock and intellectual property.

According to the report, Wilder & Hunt and Huntaway Wild owe creditors of all categories a combined $994,481.

Wilder & Hunt owes $683,417 to its sole secured creditor Maker Capital, which has a 40.55% shareholding in the business.

McKay and Rees clarified that Wilder & Hunt is a non-trading entity and has no funds available for secured and preferential creditors.

Huntaway Wild, meanwhile, owes $16,330 to secured creditors, with listed creditors including Dawson Group and Sea Containers NZ.

The company owes $12,570 to preferential creditors, with listed creditors including Inland Revenue (claim of $7312), the Ministry for Primary Industries and employees (claim of $5258).

The largest amount owed is to unsecured creditors of $222,039, with $60,126 owed to related parties. A total of $282,164 is owed to all unsecured creditors.

In total Huntaway Wild owes creditors a combined $311,064.

However, Huntaway Wild currently holds $998,815 in funds available for secured and preferential creditors, creating an overall shortfall available for creditors of $687,750.

McKay and Rees said it was not practical to estimate the date of the liquidation at this stage.

The Herald approached Wilder & Hunt owner Cam Mathias for comment on the liquidation, but he declined.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.

• Listen and subscribe to the Today in Business podcast – the top headlines from the NZ Herald business team summarised and delivered by an artificial intelligence (AI) voice as an easily digestible recap.