By Lorrie Baumann
The judges at this year’s sofi Awards were apparently very impressed by the beef products offered for judging by Lone Mountain Wagyu LLC, awarding the company a sofi and two Finalist statues at the 2015 Summer Fancy Food Show. Lone Mountain Wagyu beef products are made from 100 percent fullblood wagyu beef. Wagyu refers the breed of Japanese cattle that are genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to a high percentage of unsaturated fat.
The cattle that produce the beef in the Lone Mountain Wagyu products are raised on a New Mexico ranch owned by Robert Estrin and his wife Mary Lloyd Estrin. The ranch has been in Mary’s family since her parents bought it in 1965. After they passed away, Robert and Mary took over the ranch, which was running a conventional Angus herd. But after Robert tasted some Wagyu beef at a restaurant, he decided to convert the herd to wagyu operation. “He just fell in love and decided that was the direction to take the ranch,” said Nellie Stadtherr, Marketing Specialist for Lone Mountain Wagyu.
He traveled to Japan to learn more about wagyu cattle and how they are bred and managed in Japan. By 2008, Estrin had converted the ranch into a 100 percent wagyu operation. “His passion for authentic wagyu beef has supported the value of the brand, which is around raising the cattle in the most humane and traditional methods to produce the best quality beef possible,” Stadtherr said.
The cattle are fed a mixture of grasses supplemented with grain feed, which is critical to develop the marbling that wagyu is so famous for. At about 1 year of age, they’re transferred to a Certified Humane feedlot where they’re fed a blend of grains specifically developed for wagyu beef until they’re harvested at 28 to 32 months. The long stay at the feedlot allows the cattle to gain weight in a natural, slow process, according to Stadtherr. “They’re not rushed to gain weight to slaughter, so they develop a more delicate marbling.”
In 2010 the ranch began offering its products direct to consumers on its website and started a restaurant program as well. A product line sold through specialty meat shops and gourmet retailers was launched in January 2015 at the Winter Fancy Food Show with the Lone Mountain Wagyu 100% Fullblood Wagyu Beef Summer Sausage that won a sofi Award at this summer’s Fancy Food Show along with the 100% Fullblood Wagyu Beef Sausage Links and 100% Fullblood Wagyu Beef Jerky that were named sofi Finalists this year. Both sausages are the first and only 100 percent fullblood wagyu sausages on the market, Stadtherr said. The products appeal not just to the very affluent but also to other consumers who appreciate the gourmet quality of the product or who prefer to eat all-natural humanely raised beef that they can be sure contains no antibiotics and no hormones, she added.
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