A BUSINESS born out of two years spent establishing one the biggest Wagyu cattle herds in the UK is hoping to build upon recent award success.

Entering the Small Business of the Year category, The Yorkshire Wagyu Company has seen revenues rise more than 60 per cent in the last 12 months.

The business was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Shepherd who sought to capitalise on the increasing consumer demand for new and different tasting beef with known provenance.

Wagyu 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. It’s still relatively uncommon in the UK, but The Yorkshire Wagyu Company intends to become the largest scale producer of British Wagyu.

As well as financial growth, the business has been awarded a two star gold in the Great Taste awards for its chuck steak and won the Remarkable Taste of East Yorkshire at the REYTAs (Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards).

In order to guarantee provenance, company has developed a unique DNA ear tagging system so it can trace every animal from field to fork.

Mr Shepherd said: “The Yorkshire Wagyu Company has started a new venture that has created employment for three people in an area of high rural unemployment.

“Our mission is to rear exceptional tasting beef that is a beacon of great Yorkshire taste and to educate people about Wagyu’s taste and health benefits. Our vision is to continue to delight consumers by introducing new and different Wagyu based products once we have established the brand and to create a UK supply of Wagyu that will minimise the imports.”