Hunting safaris in Africa or Switzerland?

There seems to have been some confusion lately, especially among people who think that I (Peter) organize hunting trips in Africa.

Although I am an avid hunter and about 7 years ago took some of my Swiss hunting buddies with me to hunt on our family’s farm in South Africa, I do not organize any hunting safaris in any country. According to the commercial register, I am licensed to organize such trips, but I do not do so. We devote so much time and energy to our core business that the idea of organizing hunting trips in Africa never came to fruition. It never became a realistic option.

After our friendly hunting trip a few years ago, I wrote online that we could organize such trips for others. At the time, that seemed like a good idea. The post has since been deleted, since we never actually organized any hunting trips. A hunting trip with a few friends isn’t the same as running a hunting safari business. By the way, one of my friends wanted to hunt a buffalo (which is one of the Big 5 in Africa), but decided against it because it was so expensive :-D

Our core business is, and always has been, the production of high-quality meat products, mostly from animals that were hunted (harvested) here in Switzerland. For two of our many products, we currently still source meat from Austria, Germany, and France, but that will change soon. Our goal is to offer game meat products that are 100% sourced from Swiss hunting; “from Swiss forests and fields.”

I grew up with hunting, practice it in an ethically responsible manner, and am very open to a respectful discussion on this topic. There are many professional hunters running hunting safari businesses in South Africa, as a quick Google search shows. I’m friends with a few of them, but I’m not a professional hunter myself.

Since I don’t organize hunting safaris, others will be better able to offer professional opinions on issues related to organized hunting in South Africa or any other country. My business isn’t about organizing hunts, but rather the production and sale of high-quality Swiss meat products.

Personally, I enjoy going into the woods to harvest meat for myself, my private guests, and my family. This way of obtaining meat isn’t for everyone, but I love it. As someone who loves nature, I also enjoy foraging for wild mushrooms and herbs that we use at home (for teas, sauces, tinctures, etc.).

As a non-professional hunter, I’ve found that there’s a lack of understanding about how hunting works or what hunters do, whether here in Switzerland or in my native country, South Africa. Most hunters are happy to talk about their work if you approach them respectfully. Incidentally, one of the duties of a good hunter is to treat God’s creation (including humans) with respect, or in a “hunterly” manner.

In our industrialized age, maintaining a close connection to the food we consume (for example, through hunting) is something I consider very healthy, and I intend to continue doing so. I have no intention of ever organizing a hunting safari in Africa, even if I’m allowed to. But whenever one of my friends goes hunting with me in South Africa, Switzerland, or anywhere else, the meat from the animals we harvest will be eaten (pretty much “from nose to tail”), the animals and people will be treated with respect, and a combination of trophies and personal photos will help us honor God’s good creation and preserve beautiful memories, just as we regularly do here in Switzerland.

I hope this brief information is helpful to you. If you’d like to get a sense of what our business is all about, take a look at here some of our products here.