YORKSHIRE farmers who are working to become the UK's largest of supplier of Japanese-beef breed Wagyu are hoping to grow their brand with help from Dragon's Den star Deborah Meaden.

As one of three finalists in the New Business of the Year category at the Press Business Awards in November, the Yorkshire Wagyu Company is now being put forward by The Press for Local Business Accelerators (LBA) competition.

Organised by Local Media Works, the marketing body for the local press industry, the LBA will see local newspapers up and down Britain, including The Press in York, join the hunt to find the best local businesses.

Regional winners will be put forward to a national final, where the overall winner will scoop the LBA national prize of business mentoring from LBA campaign ambassador Deborah Meaden and free local newspaper advertising to take their business to the next level.

After launching The Yorkshire Wagyu Company in 2014, Yorkshire Wolds farmers Jim Bloom and Jonathan Shepherd have enjoyed a number of award wins for the venture after its Wagyu Rib Eye, which it supplies to Asda, won Best Beef Product of the Year and overall winner of Best Red Meat Product at the Meat Management Industry Awards 2015.

The duo have spent two years establishing one of the biggest Wagyu cross and Wagyu full-blood herds in the UK at their farm in Tibthorpe, near Driffield.

Mr Shepherd said: “Wagyu originates from Japan where it is renowned for its exceptional flavour and tenderness and its high levels of ‘good’ mono-unsaturated 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 and to put this fantastic meat firmly on the culinary map."

Launched for the first time in 2011 with backing from 500 local papers, LBA has already seen hundreds of businesses accelerated by a combination of free local newspaper advertising and mentoring from business leaders.

In the last LBA competition, held in 2013, the national title was won by York Cocoa House.

York's three New Business of the Year finalists from the Press Business Awards are being put forward for the regional stage of the LBA, ahead of the judging of entries later this month, and the national shortlist announcement in March.