East Yorkshire farmers collaborate to sell Yorkshire Wagyu direct
After two years spent establishing one of the biggest Wagyu cross and Wagyu full blood herds in the UK, Yorkshire Wolds farmers Jim Bloom and Jonathan Shepherd have launched The Yorkshire Wagyu Company to sell their premium beef direct.
Wagyu beef originates from Japan where it is renowned for its exceptional flavour and melt in your mouth tenderness and its high levels of ‘good' monounsaturated fats that give the beef its characteristic marbling.
Of the decision to market the beef themselves, Tibthorpe farmer Jonathan Shepherd (better known as ‘Shep') said: "Consumers are increasingly looking for new and different great tasting products with known provenance and Yorkshire Wagyu satisfies that demand perfectly.
It's still relatively uncommon in the UK, but we aim to become the largest scale producer of British Wagyu and put this fantastic meat firmly on the culinary map."
Jim Bloom, who farms at Warter, added: "We're so committed to provenance and traceability that we have devised a bespoke DNA testing system."
Yorkshire Wagyu is currently available on the menu at restaurants including Wolds Village, Bainton, The Dining Room, Driffield and the Wolds Inn at Huggate. Sally Brealey, of the Wolds Village is delighted with the feedback about the Wagyu Burgers: "Comments have included ‘Worth paying a little extra for that superb quality' and ‘Great to see a restaurant using produce from a farm only a couple of miles away'. We're very encouraged with the initial sales and look forward to introducing different Wagyu cuts in the future."
Dubbed ‘God's own beef from God's own county' by full time on-farm vet Jono Cooper, Wagyu beef will also be available at the mobile Yorkshire Wagyu Burger Bar that will be attending shows and festivals throughout the year. The Yorkshire Wagyu burgers are freshly prepared by multi-talented stockman and chef, Nick Dawson and feature branded brioche buns from Fullers bakery and home-made relishes from Puckett's Pickles of York.
Jonathan Shepherd and Jim Bloom are founder members of the (British) Wagyu Breeders Association.
Ends
Photos:
L-R Jono Cooper, Juli Shepherd, Jonathan Shepherd
For more information or to arrange an interview with Jonathan Shepherd (Shep) or Jim Bloom, please contact Tracey Baty at three60 marketing on
Direct line: 01430 871360
Mobile: 07971 961574
E mail:traceybaty@three60 marketing.co.uk
Web:www.three60marketing.co.uk
Notes to editors
The Yorkshire Wagyu Company is based at Field House Farm in Tibthorpe.
For more information about Yorkshire Wagyu, please visithttp://yorkshirewagyucompany.co.uk/,www.twitter.com/YorkshireWagyu,www.facebook.com/yorkshirewagyu
For more information about the Wagyu Breeders Association, please visithttp://www.britishwagyu.co.uk/