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A simple gift of nine deer from India to Hawaiian Islands in 1867 has turned into a modern-day ecological nightmare.
On the island of Maui, the population of axis deer has increased to about 65,000 and may increase to 225,000, destroying pastoral forage land and vegetation already scarce due to persistent drought conditions.
But Jake Muise, CEO/Co-Founder of Maui Nui Venison, is offering an unconventional solution to help balance the rampant proliferation of axis deer: stable USDA-approved harvesting methods that fight overcrowding while protecting the land and helping locals.
“We knew that by balancing populations in areas, we could help benefit food systems, ecosystems, communities, customers and others,” says Muise. “Along the way, we discovered that this animal is also one of the most nutritious on the planet.”
Muise shares the unique story of his company's mission on the latest episode of One Day with Jon Bier. Listen to the entire episode below and read on for highlights from the conversation.
Why are there so many deer in Hawaii?
No one could have imagined that the axis deer gifted by India in the 19th century would explode in population over the years. But Muise explains it as a perfect storm of a favorable location and a unique species.
“What makes axis deer so prolific as an invasive species is that they are one of the only deer species in the world whose sperm is stable year-round,” he says. “For the vast majority of other deer species, when their antlers fall off each year, testosterone levels drop. But axis deer are capable of breeding year-round, which puts their annual growth rate at 33% per year.”
Add to that an environment with perfect weather, abundant food and no natural predators and you have a recipe for a population explosion.
The deer dilemma
Muise explains that having so many deer in such an isolated area has wreaked havoc on the environment. Water is a precious commodity in Hawaii, “but when deer settle in our watersheds, they will reduce the amount of water collected by 50 percent.”
Deer eat a lot of farmland, destroy crops and affect the food systems of other important animals, such as cows. They also pose a danger on the road. Muise says that in Maui there is an accident involving a moose every night.
Maui Nui Venison Mission
About 15 years ago, Muise and several colleagues began to develop a sustainable business solution to the deer problem that would benefit the community and the customers who wanted to support it.
Teams harvest the deer humanely, tracking their movement using drones and sophisticated infrared technology. They then sell the venison commercially across the country.
“We were always trying to solve a problem. We didn't know this would be the healthiest red meat on earth,” says Muise. “Our beef has some of the best nutrient density tests in the world.”
The premium quality of the meat (plus a few plugs from Joe Rogan and Peter Attia) has led consumers to pay top dollar and have it shipped to them.
This has allowed Muise to keep prices down for local customers.
“Part of our sustainability model is that it has to be accessible locally,” he says. “You go on our website now, and it costs $30 to $40 a pound to ship some of that to your door in California. The same thing costs $8 a pound to someone locally.”
Muise has also developed a clever system for giving venison to locals in need, especially after last year's devastating fires.
In addition to donating venison to food banks, the company also leaves free bags in freezers at local stores.
“When we were giving food to banks, we found out it wasn't going to our community members because locally it's really hard for people to ask for help.”
Muise says leaving venison in small bags at local grocery stores makes it more accessible.
“Anyone who needs it can get it,” he explains.
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A profitable solution
While Maui Nui Venison's roots are in sustainability, Muise says his unique business model would never work if it weren't for profit.
“Initially, I thought the solution was to be a nonprofit and get a bunch of grant funding, and that would be it. That would be impossible to run as a nonprofit.”
So how is the company doing?
Says Muise, “The most exciting metric for us when you think about measuring what matters is that over the last five to six months, we've been in areas where we're managing population balance. It took 14 years, but our communities and our customers they are eating.”