For Australian Wagyu pioneer and fifth generation cattle farmer David Blackmore, one of the most important things differentiating the Blackmore brand is their story – and it’s quite a story.
Blackmore received his first cow at age 10 as payment from his grandfather for farm work. He now produces some of the highest quality Wagyu in the world for the finest tables in Australia and 15 countries around the globe.
“We are our hardest critics – our reputation is only as good as our worst carcase. What’s really important for our business is the story and we’ve always presented that honestly, we protect the integrity of everything that we do and what we claim we do, we make sure we do,” David said.
From First Sight to Global Excellence
"A Blackmore Wagyu cow and calf"
Blackmore’s Wagyu journey started in 1988 in the USA when he saw purebred Wagyu cattle that were the descendants of four Wagyu bulls that had been exported from Japan in 1976 for research.
The Japanese Wagyu industry is highly protective, but trade discussions in the early 1990’s between the Japanese and US governments saw the first shipment of live full blood Wagyu, that included the first females exported from Japan in 1992. For the first time, full blood Wagyu cattle could now be bred outside of Japan. The Wagyu ban was re-imposed in 1996 and no Wagyu genetics have been exported from Japan since. Meanwhile, Blackmore had established a close relationship with master Wagyu breeder Shogo Takeda – setting him up to secure the exclusive rights to import Takeda Wagyu embryos and semen into Australia. From 1992 to 2006 Blackmore imported more than 80 percent of the Wagyu genetics into Australia.
With his son Ben, Blackmore now runs a herd of 4,000 full blood Wagyu derived from Japan’s three most famous bloodlines. The business operates across five farms with 20 employees managing around 9,000 acres to produce high-quality Wagyu for the Australian and export markets.
Ben joined the business in 2009 with a Business Marketing degree and experience working in two Japanese meat trading companies, Itoham and Sojitz. He identified the value opportunity in breaking up the carcase to receive cut premiums by targeting particular markets.
"Ben and David Blackmore."
“It is by design that we export to 15 countries – it allows us to identify different cuts that those markets will pay a premium for and with offal included we’re doing 35-40 cuts from every animal. Most people would think sending 300kg to a certain country is a waste of time, but for us, because of the higher value of the product, it could be a $15,000 – $20,000 order which makes it viable,” Ben said.
Ben also saw the opportunity to add further value to the brand by using key chefs to become ambassadors and distributors in international markets.
At 71 years, David Blackmore has ceded control and put Blackmore Wagyu into the capable hands of his son Ben – but he is far from hanging up his boots. His ‘retirement project’ is already causing a stir as he sets himself the task of producing the best grass-fed beef in Australia.
From Spain to Australia: Blackmore's Rubia Gallega Venture
In 2011, David and Ben were in the chiller of their French distributor when they saw some very large and heavily marbled cuts of yellow-fat beef. The beef was from Rubia Gallega cattle, indigenous to Galicia in Northern Spain – and after a decade long journey, Blackmore has again triumphed in bringing unique luxury to Australian tables.
"David Blackmore with one of his Rubia Gallega cows."
Initially meeting similar protectionist obstacles to those that he had encountered with Wagyu, Blackmore negotiated with the Rubia Gallega breed society and the Spanish Government to import embryos into Australia and in late 2017, after implanting the embryos into surrogate cows, the first Rubia Gallega calves were born in Australia.
“They’re much more heavily marbled than other European breeds, probably double that of an Angus off grass, and with the marbling comes your flavour and tenderness – the chefs are reporting back that the butt cuts are unbelievably tender with very fine texture. We’re aiming to get to about 350 breeders and to do 15 to 20 carcases a month,” David said.
David is clear about the fact that the Rubia Gallega is not there to compete with the Wagyu but given the similar heritage of the two breeds in being work animals, believes many of the same principles will apply.
“We were getting a fair bit of publicity for the new cattle, and I said ‘Dad, remember 97 percent of our income still comes from the Wagyu, so don’t go too hard’,” Ben laughed.
When asked about the future of the Blackmore business, both men maintain that their biggest commitment is to quality. The Blackmore brand has never set out to feed the world – their customer has always been those seeking to celebrate with a luxury experience.