OPP OUT! Kiwi Plant-Based Trailblazer Off-Piste Provisions Hits Pause Amid Global Market Crunch

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Off-Piste Provisions, one of New Zealand’s most daring plant-based ventures, has announced it’s pulling its signature meat-free jerky from shelves, citing what’s described as a “critical recalibration” in the face of global turbulence. But don’t call it curtains, this is more plot twist than full stop.

Source: Off -Piste Provisions

In a heartfelt statement, the company confirmed it will “pause operations” of the Off-Piste Provisions (OPP) brand, withdrawing from both domestic and US markets. The move comes after a cocktail of commercial curveballs: rising manufacturing costs, a tightening consumer wallet, and the bitter flavour of international trade tensions.

Let’s be clear, this isn’t a quiet retreat. OPP’s exit is laced with pride, purpose and just a hint of unfinished business. “We were never here to play at the edges, but rather to take a moonshot at moving the mainstream,” the company said. It’s a nod to their big ambition: reinventing meat snacks without the meat, and without compromise.

And what a run it was. In just two years, the Off-Piste team:

• Cracked 700+ retail doors in New Zealand

• Broke into two export markets, including a competitive US snack aisle

• Scored a Top 5 Amazon ranking in their category

• Hired and supported 59+ staff on a living wage

• Saved an estimated 150+ tonnes of CO2, or the equivalent of parking 75 petrol cars for good

• And, most powerfully, offset the slaughter of “hundreds of sentient beings”

Not bad for a startup that made beef jerky… without the beef.

Source: Off-Piste Provisions

But innovation has its price and in this economy, the tab got too steep. “These pressures have significantly affected our ability to make the numbers work and confidently invest further in our largest market, the USA,” the team shared.

What’s next? OPP says this is just a strategic pause. The crew behind the scenes is already shifting gears toward other products in their innovation pipeline—offerings they believe are better suited to current market realities. There’s no word yet on what those might be, but we’ll be watching.

In the meantime, fans will notice OPP products slowly disappearing from shelves and the online store over the coming weeks. A bitter bite, yes, but not without a note of deep gratitude. “Your belief made this wild entrepreneurial adventure a possibility,” they told supporters. And to their fellow food rebels? “Keep reimagining our broken food system, we’ll be cheering you on.”

PFN Take: Off-Piste Provisions may be stepping off the field, but make no mistake, the playbook has changed because they were in it. In a sector crowded with empty claims and expensive shelf space, OPP gave us something real in the form of flavour with conscience, and snacks trying to steer the planet back on track. Let’s hope their next act lands just as boldly.

[Follow PFN for updates as Off-Piste prepares for its next chapter.]

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