YOAKUM, Texas – Restaurants nationwide have been placing high-quality burgers featuring Kobe and Wagyu beef on their menus in response to growing demand for healthier alternatives. HeartBrand Beef is the exclusive breeder and processor of Akaushi beef in the United States, and it claims this healthier alternative is becoming more popular in hamburgers.

Akaushi ground beef is becoming widely known and is now served in a growing number of fine restaurants and burger restaurants nationally including more than 50 Cheeseburger in Paradise locations in the US and nine Fuddruckers locations in the Dallas, Texas area, just to mention a few.


Wagyu, which means "Japanese cattle," and Kobe, a line of cattle from the Kobe region of Japan, are prized around the world for prime tenderness, rich flavor and a positive ratio of unsaturated to saturated fats. At two to three grades above Prime, Akaushi beef is a Wagyu line with even better flavor and more surprising health benefits, the company relayed.

Akaushi beef is source verified, 100 percent all-natural and hormone-free. Although highly marbled, the fatty acid composition has a positive ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fat and is a significant source of oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat in olive oil.

"Akaushi beef is also one of the highest sources of natural Conjugated Linoleic Acid [CLA] in beef," said Jordan Beeman, president of HeartBrand Beef Inc.

Studies have shown that CLA slows the growth of a wide variety of tumors, controls insulin levels, reduces diabetes, promotes weight loss, lowers cholesterol, regulates bone loss and reduces the risk of heart disease. Independent laboratory nutritional analyses show that the meat is lower in cholesterol than even fish.

"Many people think that healthy beef is expensive, but the cost of Akaushi ground beef is comparable to supermarket prices," he added.

HeartBrand Beef said it produces Akaushi meat under rigorous quality guidelines and certified product testing in a vertically integrated production system. The cattle are treated in accordance to the USDA Humane Handling Standards and Guidelines. They graze on a special mix of grasses in the open air and later move on to a grain formula.