Wagyu France - philosophy<<

Philosophy

In the middle of the lush nature of Domaine du Tilleul,
in accordance with the life rhythm of the Black Wagyu,
Wagyufrance strives for a superior meat quality.

DOMAINE DU TILLEUL
Domaine du Tilleul is situated in the Thiérache. The rich architectural patrimony of this region in Northern-France includes abbeys, castles and fortified farms, as well as the very famous fortified churches - ‘églises fortifiées’ – that had to protect the people from the country against plundering soldiers during the Eighty Years’ War with their concrete cornet towers, donjons and loopholes. Up until today, Thiérache mainly is a breeder area with dense broad-leaved forests, wide green landscapes and where dikes planted with trees and sides of wood or hedges form the natural boundaries of the agrarian parcels.

The history of Domaine du Tilleul takes us back to the 15th century when the site was still the property of the abbey of Foigny. At that time, Domaine du Tilleul functioned as a fishery for Cistercian monks. Three big ponds with a total dimension of 5 acres dominated the land. They were fed by streams that ran through the rural estate and ended in the Thon. The remainders in the form of dikes are still visible today. The rural estate date from 1831. It was built by Jean-Pierre Piette, the steward of the land of the princes of Monaco, north of Laon. Domaine du Tilleul is the property of Johan Hemelaere since March 2004. He had the rural estate and the adjacent guest wing restored in a rustic style. The authentic shed from the Bucilly of 1797 got broken down and was fully rebuilt.

Domaine du Tilleul spreads out over 30 acres designed landscaped park and woods and 94 acres grasslands. A walk through the landscaped park brings you across wonderful trees like Fraxinus excelsior (ash), Acer (maple tree), Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) and of course different kinds of Tilia (basswood), after which the land was named. All these trees are very impressive and have a life story that’s 60 to 100 years old. The showpiece is without doubt the robust oak next to the rural estate of more than 300 years old. The hedges are filled with Craetaegus (hawthorn) and Prunus spinosa (blackthorn). Newly laid out are Fagus sylvatica (beach), Alnus (alder), Quercus rubra (American oak), Quercus petraea (durmast) en Populus (popular). The spacious grasslands are ideal to spot some hares, partridges, pheasants, deer, wild boars and foxes.

LIFE RHYTHM OF THE WAGYU
The first embryo’s were imported from the Australian Westholme Wagyu to the farm of Domaine du Tilleul in 2005. The farm is a ten minutes drive away from the land and consists of 138 acres. Breeder Stéphan Heyse lives and works there. He is responsible for the daily care of the herd Wagyu’s. Wagyufrance is an intensive project of Johan Hemelaere, his brother Stefaan and breeder Stéphan. The team considers the aiming at top quality of paramount importance .

The instructions for the development of the wagyu meat take up an entire life route. They cover everything from the birth to the fattening up and even what to do after the slaughtering. Wagyu’s need to be raised in an unstressful, natural environment starting from the day they are born. The Holstein heifer of a farmer from Dentergem was selected as surrogate mother for the embryo’s. Wagyu’s only weigh thirty kilograms when they are born and because of this, it was always possible to have a natural birth. The newborn calves stay with their mother during the first six months. After this period, the bulls are castrated. The slow process of fattening them up is done with grass and a diet with little proteins until they are 2 years old. A strict and natural diet is of the uttermost importance because the feed determines the taste of the meat. During the last six months, the animals get a richer diet with appetizers like malt as so let the marbling take place in the deepest fibres of the meat. The animals are fit for slaughter when they are 30 to 33 months old. At this age, the animals weigh about 700 or 750 kilo. Once in the slaughterhouse, the animals get the change to lose some stress in the grasslands then they are slaughtered according to traditional methods. The meat needs to ripen for 21 à 24 days in the refrigerator. Then it’s cut to pieces and quickly frozen.

Beer and massages for the Wagyu: fact or fable?
Johan Hemelaere tells: "It’s of the uttermost importance that the cattle grow up in a relaxed atmosphere, but beer and massages? Those are pure fables. Japanese farmers once served beer as appetizer. Because of a shortage of grasslands to pasture the cattle, the animals were sent to the barn when fattening up. The fact that Wagyu’s got bored there and thus lost their appetite, doesn’t surprise me. Even Western farmers served their cattle malt as to rouse the lust. The myth about the massage goes back to the life of Japanese cattle in the barn. To improve the comfort and relieve the stress, the animals were brushed with rice stalks. This also improved the construction of the fat and the meat.”

The quality of wagyu meat is evaluated on the basis of a strict Japanese assessment system.
The measurements are carried out between the sixth and seventh rib of the cow There are five quality classes that take into account: marbling, colour and texture of the meat and the colour of the fat. 1= poor / 2= unsatisfactory / 3=average /4=good /5=excellent. The evaluation of the meat yield can be divided into rank A (72 %), B (69 %) or C (onder de 69 %). The BMS-score (Beef Marbling Score) indicates the degree of marbling. 8-12=excellent /5-7=good /3-4=average /2=unsatisfactory /1= poor. The colour and brightness of the meat is sorted on a scale of 1 to 7. The firmness of the meat is visually evaluated with a score from 1 to 5.

Johan Hemelaere tells: “The wonderful marbling of wagyu meat provides an unparalleled sensation in the mouth. The European customer has a reluctant, undeserved, attitude towards the high percentage of intramuscular fat. If one looks at the Japanese evaluation scale, then the European customer already drops out at level 9. In Japan, an evaluation with level 12 means that you have the most expensive and exclusive product in front of you. The fatter the meat, the thinner it should be presented and the less you can eat of it because its sensation is so intense and powerful. Apart from the fat content, the colour of the meat is also very important. The darker the colour of wagyu meat, the better the quality."