BOUTIQUE BEEF
Extra Special Care
For many years only the Emperor, his family and his Samurai could eat Wagyu beef. Sparta Wagyu is proud to share this special experience with you.
We take extra special care to make sure that only the best Wagyu beef, produced from top Wagyu genetics, is packed as Sparta Wagyu beef. This demonstrates our commitment to ensure the integrity of the Wagyu breed and Wagyu beef, both in South Africa and abroad.
Our Wagyu beef is grown in the pristine South African countryside. They enjoy a natural diet free from animal by-products and growth promotors and are not treated with routine antibiotics.
What is Wagyu Beef?
‘Wagyu’ refers to all Japanese beef cattle, where ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘gyu’ means cow. In most countries outside of Japan, Wagyu can refer to any of the four Japanese beef breeds (Shorthorn, Black, Polled and Brown) that have either been crossbred with other breeds of cattle at varying degrees or are purebred Wagyu cattle.
This famous type of cattle is best known for its ability to marble. Marbling is the fine, weblike intramuscular fat found in premium quality beef, but no breed of cattle has a genetic disposition to marbling that compares with Wagyu cattle. Wagyu fat, unlike any other breed of cattle, melts at room temperature and not only when exposed to cooking heat.
Evidence in the United States, Australia and elsewhere indicates that the marbling in Wagyu beef contributes markedly not only to tenderness and juiciness but, importantly, to taste. Wagyu has a softer fat, which improves the meat flavour and taste.
What is Kobe beef?
Kobe beef is often mentioned in the same breath as Wagyu beef. Wagyu refers to cattle bearing specific Japanese cattle genetics, cattle bred in Japan or in the Japanese style. Kobe beef is comprised of a very particular strain of Wagyu called Tajima-gyu that is raised to strict standards in the prefecture of Hyogo (Hyogo’s capital city is Kobe, thus the name).
Sparta Wagyu Grades
Our Wagyu beef is graded into Blue (premium), Gold (super) and Silver (great) based on the marbling score achieved, and only the best will do when it comes to Sparta Wagyu.
Our BLUE label product is our top-of-the-range product. The Blue label Sparta Wagyu has a marbling score* of no less than 8 on the lower range and up to 9 and ‘off the charts’ on the upper scale.
With our Blue label product, you can expect meat that has a high amount of fine weblike intramuscular fat, so much so that the meat appears quite white. Treat yourself, this is beef in a class of its own!
Our GOLD label product has a marbling score* ranging from 5 to 7.
This product has a fairly high amount of fine intramuscular fat translating into that melt-in-the-mouth, buttery Wagyu texture. Well worth it!
Our SILVER label product has a marbling score* of 3 and 4.
This product has some fine intramuscular fat and is the perfect choice for someone wishing to gently ease into the Wagyu marbling scene.
*AUS-MEAT marbling chart. When ordering our Sparta Wagyu steaks (rump, sirloin and ribeye), please be sure to specify the grade. Each grade of Wagyu is easily distinguished by the Blue, Gold and Silver stickers on the packaging.
Quality Assured
Sparta Beef is renowned for its quality beef, both nationally and internationally. Our beef processing facility is FSSC 22000 certified and subject to stringent health and safety protocols. Our staff are highly skilled and regularly trained to ensure that every steak is cut to perfection.
Our Wagyu beef is certified halaal by the National Independent Halaal Trust (NIHT). Sparta’s beef processing plant is export-approved by the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD)(Export plant number ZA 91).
