Here's why wagyu meat is so expensive.

Wagyu Beef is especially from Japan is the most expensive in the world.  

The highest grade Wagyu Price can cost up to $200 per pound. The rarest Wagyu Steak in the world, known as Olive Wagyu can cose $120 to $300 for a steak.

Wagyu cows can be 40 times more the price of US cattle.  Adult cows can each sell for as much as $30k.  

In Japan, 5 billion yen worth is Wagyu was sold in 2013 and last year it went up to 24.7 billion yen.  Go figure!

We're talking about Wagyu Beef, one of the most expensive meats in the world. Originating in Japan and prized for its rich marbling and buttery taste, wagyu meat can cost up to $200 per pound, and the cows themselves can sell for as much as $30,000. But what is it that makes the meat so expensive?

Wagyu is graded on two main factors: how much meat can be yielded and the quality of the marbled fat. Only A3 to A5 wagyu is certified for sale in Japan. And the higher the grade, the higher the price. 

The cows are raised differently in each region and by different farmers, but they're often raised by a breeder until they're about 10 months old and then sold at auction to a fattening farmer. They're often fed three times a day for almost two years, until the animals are almost 50% fat. 

The length of the fattening process and the import concentrated feed increases the cost of the beef and each cow will eat 5 tons of feed. 

 

All in all, Wagyu is very expensive but very worth it.