With the growing farm-to-table movement and increasing health consciousness among American consumers in recent years, the concept of quality over quantity when it comes to food has been gaining wider appeal.
In the area of beef — a huge staple of the American diet — perhaps nothing better symbolizes this shift in viewpoint than the growth in popularity of wagyu beef.
Derived from cattle bred over centuries in Japan and considered by many chefs and gourmands to be among the best beef on the planet, wagyu represents a tiny fraction of beef raised in the U.S.
What may be surprising to learn is that a significant portion of American wagyu is being raised right here in the Upstate at Caroland Farms in northwestern Spartanburg County.
For Aaron Jordan, Caroland’s director of ranch operations, educating consumers about the virtues of wagyu and what constitutes true wagyu is an important part of expanding the market.
What is wagyu beef?
The term wagyu is derived from the Japanese words for “Japanese” and “cow,” according to the American Wagyu Association.
The AWA was founded in 1990 to represent American wagyu producers and certifies wagyu cattle by maintaining an exacting genetic registry for the breed in the U.S., Canada and Australia, among others.
Bred over centuries or possibly even millennia in Japan as draft animals, wagyu became prized because they developed more intramuscular fat, a ready energy source that defines the breed’s signature marbling.
According to the AWA, all purebred American wagyu today are descended from a handful of animals imported into the U.S. from Japan in the 1970s and again in the 1990s. Japan declared wagyu cattle a national living treasure in the 1990s and banned all further export of the breed.
Estimates peg the number of certified wagyu cattle in the U.S. at about 5,000, which means Caroland Farms’ herd of 500 represents a significant percentage of the total.
The value of purity
When Bob Jordan bought Caroland Farms more than a decade ago, the rarity of wagyu and the potential growth in market share for this variety of beef were hugely appealing.
When Aaron Jordan joined his father in helping run the operation in 2024, he quickly learned that the vast majority of beef being marketed in this country as “wagyu” was not, in fact, 100% certified wagyu.
For Aaron Jordan, the proof was in the tasting. A chef was brought to the farm to do a blind taste testing between beef of varying percentages of wagyu purity — 50%, 75% and 100%, genetically certified.
Aaron Jordan said the results were a hands-down preference for the pure variety.
“Everybody picked the full-blown wagyu steak as the best,” he said. “It was tender, juicy, flavorful.”
While Caroland initially started with Angus and partial wagyu beef, the operation has since transitioned to 100% genetically certified wagyu. For Aaron Jordan, it’s tremendously rewarding to not only be raising the best beef possible but also to see the increasing number of consumers and chefs who appreciate the breed’s virtues.
He said beyond the actual quality of the meat, it’s equally important to his family to meet the growing expectation among consumers and restaurateurs to know where their food comes from and how it is grown.
“We want to work with those restaurants that appreciate that … farmer-grown, quality meat,” Aaron Jordan said. “And I think people really do appreciate that.”
He said Caroland’s wagyu is featured in restaurants in nearby Landrum like The Hare & Hound Pub, Stone Soup Market & Cafe and 1878 Butcher’s Block, and in Greenville at The One5 and The 05.
Aaron Jordan said that beyond exposing consumers to wagyu through restaurant menus, the Caroland team regularly takes their beef on the road to local farmers markets. He added individual consumers make up about 85% of the farm’s sales, both locally through farmers markets and nationally through the farm’s online platform.
For more information, visit carolandfarmswagyu.com.
Wagyu beef fast facts:
- The term “wagyu” is derived by the Japanese words for Japanese (wa) and cow or cattle (gyu).
- In Japan, there are four breeds of cattle considered to be wagyu: Black, Brown, Polled and Shorthorn
- All purebred wagyu cattle in the U.S. are descended from a handful of animals imported in the 1970s and again in the 1990s shortly before Japan declared the breed a living national treasure and banned their export.
Source: American Wagyu Association
