Robbins Island – Wagyu Brands
“It is highly prized by not only Chefs in Australia but also Europe and Asia, for its flavour, taste and marbling.”
Robbins Island is a fourth-generation family fund property, producing Full Blood Wagyu (F6). Robbins Island geographically, is a small island off the north west coast of Tasmania. It has been owned by the Hammond family for many generations, where they have been breeding Wagyu for the Tokyo live cattle market, since 1993.
All of Robbins Island Wagyu cattle are F6. This means that both, the father and mother, are Purebred Wagyu. F6 indicates that six generations of Wagyu have been bred to achieve Full Blood status. Interestingly, most other Australian brands on the market are F1 Wagyu. This means the father is Wagyu but the mother is from another breed.
F6 marbling is very different to F1. It is much finer. The mouthfeel of F6 is also different due to the smaller spacings of fat. The Hammond family undertakes extensive DNA testing, so that all of their cattle carry the Soft Fat Gene. The presence of the “SoftFat Gene’’ yields a melting point of the marbling, which is below body temperature, which is in the range of 28 – 35 ℃. The result is a unique eating experience, where the intramuscular fat melts in your mouth and immediately saturates the pallet with flavour.
Originally their cattle was bred exclusively for the live export trade to the Tokyo restaurant trade. This continues but some of the cattle are now being released for the boxed meat trade. The cattle are bred on Robbins Island and then finished for 500 days on grain.The herd has been selectively bred to carry the elusive ‘soft fat’ gene, traditionally sought after by the Japanese for its lower melting points and buttery mouthfeel. It is highly prized by not only Chefs in Australia but also Europe and Asia, for its flavour, taste and marbling. The Robbins Island Wagyu is packed in two grades: MB 7+ and MB 9+. We believe Robbins Island will become scarce, as its production is limited and demand is quickly growing as Chefs discover its value.
