Wagyu

Wagyu simply means Japanese cattle. The name covers four Japanese breeds, of which the Japanese Black is the one almost all Wagyu outside Japan descends from. Japan declared them a national treasure and banned their export in 1997, which is why the genetics in North America trace to a small number of animals imported before that.

What sets them apart is intramuscular fat. Wagyu marble to a degree no other breed reaches, and the fat itself has a lower melting point, which is what produces the texture the beef is known for.

They are also small, slow-growing and long-fed. A Wagyu is finished at 26 to 30 months rather than 14 to 18.

The trade is the whole business model. Twice the feeding period on a smaller carcass only works if you have a buyer paying the premium, and that means a marketing channel arranged before the calf is born, not after.