Why Akaushi

The Akaushi breed has raised the bar in the U.S. beef industry over the last few years.  This is a direct result of the breeds signature trait…faster and better marbling. This means the cattle place fat inside the muscle not on the outside, resulting in less waste and the best tasting beef in the world.  It also has higher levels of oleic acid (the good fat found in olive oil) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than other beef, and has more monounsaturated fat than saturated fat. It’s not a lean product—it’s more of an anti-lean product—with value and health benefits as a result of it’s marbling.  This beef qualifies for the coveted Kobe and Wagyu labels, providing delicious taste and premium price you would expect.

The Akaushi breed is a type of red Wagyu Japanese cattle. The origin of the breed traces to Kumamoto, Japan, where they were developed to tolerate the challenging land and climate and appeal to refined taste of the Japanese.

In 1994, the Akaushi herd was brought to the United States under a closed herd and multi-trait selection system. All full-blood Akaushi cattle at Leis Creek Cattle Co are registered to the American Akaushi Association who collects carcass data, analyzes breeding pedigrees and scrutinize each animal for genetic characteristics.

American Akaushi cattle are 100 percent pure and are direct descendants of the Emperor’s herds.  In 2015, the U.S. Akaushi breed consists of about 1,000 full-blooded Akaushi bulls and 8,700 full-blooded females.