Who produces Motobu Gyu?

Motobu Farm in Motobu Town, Okinawa. It is a single-producer brand, so the named farm and Okinawa origin are the stable markers; current herd size requires a dated producer source.

Are the cattle fed beer?

No. The farm uses spent brewer's grain from the Orion brewery, the solids left after brewing, mixed with corn feed and molasses and fermented for about ten days. It is a feed ingredient, not beer.

Japanese producer · Okinawa

Motobu Gyu Wagyu

Okinawa's Japanese Black, raised only at Motobu Farm on fermented Orion beer grains.

Region: Motobu Town, northern Okinawa
Breed: Japanese Black (Kuroge)
Producer: Motobu Farm, single source
Feed: Fermented Orion beer lees

Where to eat it1

● Japanese A5 Verified

Corrida

Boulder, CO

Motobu Gyu · A5

Where to buy it1

● Certified Kobe

The Wagyu Shop

Japanese A5 (Hokkaido, Kobe, Miyazakigyu, Motobu Gyu, Olive Wagyu, Takamori), American, Australian

Ships nationwide

One farm on the Motobu Peninsula

Motobu Gyu is a Wagyu brand from Motobu Farm on the western side of Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula. Farm-size, barn-count, and prefectural-ranking claims can change, so the stable facts here are the named producer, Okinawa origin, and published product standard.

Because the brand belongs to one producer rather than to the prefecture, there is no Okinawa-wide Motobu standard to consult. The farm is the standard.

The beer-lees feed

The farm's signature is a fermented feed built around spent brewer's grain from Orion, Okinawa's own brewery. The lees are combined with corn-based feed and molasses and fermented for about ten days before being fed out. The farm's founder describes the appeal of the grain in practical terms, as a fiber source that is nonetheless easy for cattle to digest.

The claims made for the resulting beef, a low fat melting point and a gentle sweetness, are producer characterizations rather than measured values, and are worth reading that way. The competition record is not: Motobu Farm took the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award at the 2013 national beef carcass competition run by the national livestock federation.

Common questions

Who produces Motobu Gyu?: Motobu Farm in Motobu Town, Okinawa. It is a single-producer brand, so the named farm and Okinawa origin are the stable markers; current herd size requires a dated producer source.
Are the cattle fed beer?: No. The farm uses spent brewer's grain from the Orion brewery, the solids left after brewing, mixed with corn feed and molasses and fermented for about ten days. It is a feed ingredient, not beer.

Looking for the U.S. ranches that raise Wagyu? See the farms · The Kobe list · How to spot authentic Wagyu