About Yonezawa Wagyu
Yonezawa Wagyu Beef
Yonezawa wagyu beef is from Japanese black cattle raised in the Okitama area of Yamagata prefecture. Surrounded on all sides by high mountains, Koitama is a basin plain that is also referred to as the Oriental Arcadia. Yonezawa Cattle are raised throughout the season as the environment of the Yonezawa Basin is unlike any other in Japan.
Nature and Nurture
The spring bloom, summer rains and winter snow of the Yonezawa Basin provide mineral rich water and feed for the cattle. Cattle thrive in the environment and enjoy a high quality of care in Yonezawa. The cattle diet is devised to ensure superior marbled meat with unique taste and aroma. This curated diet consists of high quality feed including rice, bran, corn, soybeans, barley, and the straw in their paddy fields. Breeders provide cattle ample space and each animal is cared for individually. To ensure such care, breeders raise no more than 70 heads at a time. This combination of nature and nurture is what makes Yonezawa beef so “finely textured” and “mellow,” as often described by world connoisseurs.
