Czech wagyu: The breeding of Japanese beef on Wagyu Horky farm near Litomyšl
Amaso: Guaranteed quality meat
Although Wagyu is primarily associated with Japan, it can also be found here in the Czech Republic. There are about twenty breeders dedicated to raising cattle for Wagyu beef, some with only a handful of animals. A significantly larger herd of roughly sixty is cared for by Jakub Tmej and Martin Kubišta at the Wagyu Horky farm.
They founded the farm, located in the village of Horky near Litomyšl, in 2015. At that time, Martin Kubišta was already operating a dairy barn, but without any animals of his own. “I approached Martin with the idea that we could start a farm together and begin raising beef breeds, with the animals spending most of their time grazing outdoors. From the start, we wanted to focus on quality, not quantity. Wagyu made perfect sense to us,” says Jakub Tmej, describing how they came together.
First heifers, then Wagyu
Jakub makes it sound simple, but establishing a Wagyu herd is no easy feat. In Horky, they were lucky. Martin’s stepfather is Petr Krontorád, who has experience raising Wagyu, and has long been involved in cattle breeding and reproduction. So instead of Martin and Jakub purchasing an expensive purebred breeding cow which would have to be shipped from Germany, France, the United States, or even Australia, they opted for the more accessible and affordable option of embryo transfer.
The “surrogate mothers” were heifers of the Czech Fleckvieh breed, which carried the 100 percent Wagyu embryos. “We chose these because they are a calm breed, readily available here, and the cows have excellent milk production after calving. This ensures the calf has enough food to grow during the first few months,” explains Martin Kubišta.
It took several years for the pair to be able to taste their own Wagyu for the first time. They purchased the Czech Fleckvieh heifers when they were two months of age, and had to let them grow. The gestation period for cows is nine months, and subsequently it takes 3–4 years for the calves to reach slaughter weight. For the first year, they stay with their mothers on pasture, and are then moved to the barn, where they have free-range housing and a constant supply of feed.
Plenty of fat, less meat
Wagyu is unique for its marbling — its ability to deposit fat into the muscle tissue to a greater extent. This makes the meat more tender, more delicate, and also more flavourful. But to ensure perfect marbling, the animals require extra care. While other breeds are slaughtered at around 24 months of age, for Wagyu, the ideal time isn't until about 40 months.
Another difference is the meat yield. A typical animal weighing an average of 800 kilograms can yield 450 kilograms of meat; from a smaller Wagyu breed with a live weight of 600 kilograms, we get 230 kilograms of meat. “Although we feed the animals for a year to a year and a half longer, we end up with less meat. That means a significant difference in costs, and therefore in price,” explains Jakub Tmej.
In collaboration with Amaso
The partnership between Amaso and Wagyu Horky developed quite naturally. “We’ve known Martin Kubišta for as long as we’ve known the Krontoráds. Until now, we’ve been sourcing Wagyu from their farm in Sloupnice, but Petr Krontorád plans to end his breeding operations within three years. So forming a partnership with Jakub and Martin from Wagyu Horky was a natural fit,” says Vlasta Lacina Jiroš, managing director of Amaso. The first animals arrived at the processing plant in Jenč earlier this year, and the collaboration is set to expand in the future.
Of course, friendship alone isn’t enough for a joint venture. However, Amaso and Wagyu Horky also share the same values, including how to raise and feed the animals. “For meat to be good, four things are necessary: a good life and a good death for the animal, a good butcher, and a good chef. If one of those links isn’t working, you can always tell on the plate,” says Vlasta Lacina Jiroš.
And he agrees with the farmers at Wagyu Horky on one more thing: “You don’t need to eat meat every day. Treat yourself to it once in a while, but make sure it’s high-quality and that you know where it comes from.”
