For centuries, Japan perfected the art of Wagyu — developing regional varieties like Kobe, Matsusaka, and Omi. But Olive Wagyu is a modern revelation, born on Shodoshima Island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea.
In 2006, cattle farmer Masaki Ishii had an idea: what if the very olives that defined Shodoshima could enhance Wagyu? He drew upon an old technique of drying persimmons by air in the Seto Inland Sea breezes — laying olive pulp out on rocks by the shore. Three years of trial and error produced a toasted, nutrient-dense feed his cattle loved.
In 2018, Crowd Cow founder Joe Heitzeberg traveled to Shodoshima to meet the farmers firsthand — forging the relationships that made Crowd Cow the first company to import Olive Wagyu to the United States. Every order includes a certificate of authenticity and harvest date, because when beef is this rare, provenance is everything.