Southern Velvet Buyers owner Kelly Bennett displays a pair of hard antlers at Dunedin Railway Station, which he bought from a North Otago farmer on the first day of an expedition of the South, last week. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Southern Velvet Buyers owner Kelly Bennett displays a pair of hard antlers at Dunedin Railway Station, which he bought from a North Otago farmer on the first day of an expedition of the South, last week. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Southern Velvet Buyers owner and Deer Genetics NZ stud master Kelly Bennett, of Geraldine, travelled the South buying hard antlers and buttons last week. Otago Daily Times’ Shawn McAvinue caught up with him in Dunedin.
Q. Who are you buying the antlers from?
Farmers, hunters, shepherds and pest contractors -we will buy from anyone with access to antlers.
We buy fallow and red, all sorts, if it comes off a stag’s head we are into it.
Q. How many hard antlers and buttons have you bought on your first day between Timaru and Dunedin?
About 250kg.
Q. What do the hard antlers get used for?
There are three uses - there’s the craft market, chandeliers, door knobs and that sort of stuff - and then you have the Chinese cooking market, they cut it into chunks, put it in a massive vat and cook it down for two or three days and the goo that comes off the bottom, they separate the collagen and the calcium.
The collagen at that stage is extremely valuable and goes into the cosmetic industry.
A pile of antlers bought from hunters in the South. Photo / Shawn McAvinue
Q. What are buttons and what do they get used for?
It’s what is left over from farm deer after you’ve harvested the velvet. It gets ground up in China and is a form of calcium for breastfeeding mothers.
Q. How is the supply of antler?
There’s plenty of deer around but you still have to look for the antler because most people are not aware of its value and they leave it sitting in a shed or hanging on a fence.
The key to maintaining its value is to keep it in the shade because the sun sucks the colour out of it.
Q. You must do a few kilometres?
It’s good, you get up valleys and side roads you’d never get the opportunity to get up otherwise. New Zealand is a great place with a lot of interesting places to go and see.
Q. How many years have you been doing these trips?
More than 20 years.
The main game we play is velvet procurement and this is an add-on, and we canvas our velvet clients at the same time.
We will do two dedicated hard antler runs a year.
I also bred trophy deer as well [Deer Genetics NZ] and have stag sales and export genetics around the world - all of that sort of hoopla.
Q. What is the state of the trophy industry?
Trophy farmers are especially happy the borders are open and Covid has washed through and we are able to sell our product to the outfitters, who have had a good year.
A couple of thousand. We had a full clearance of 14 stag at our sale last year and averaged $23,500 - the top in the country - it was a pretty good day.
Q. As your deer farm is performing well, do you need to be on the road buying antlers?
Probably not but it is good to get off the farm and have a look around.
It’s something different and meeting clients is a key to success.
