OUR CATTLE

We are a company who raise beef cattle in the north of Cáceres. We look after the breeding and fattening of our own animals, bringing them up on the dehesa in the best possible conditions, trying to interfere as little as possible in their day-to-day lives.

In our constant quest to do things better, we have been seeking how to improve the quality of our beef livestock.

In 2006, this led us to become the first livestock holding in Spain to have our own optional labelling scheme for beef, and the only one that certified 100% of the animals on the farm.

In 2013, the labelling was extended to include the term Iberian Wagyu, to refer to animals of at least 50% Wagyu stock, the only labelling scheme in Spain, and perhaps in the whole of Europe, to certify this. We were also conceded the title Flashingfarm Europa by McDonald‘s, becoming the only Spanish cattle producer so recognised.

In 2014 we extended our certifications to include Halal, certified by the accredited entity Halala Tayeban. In 2015 we extended our optional labelling scheme again to meat products, such as sausages and hamburgers.

One of the projects we have in hand at the moment, and perhaps our star project, is Iberian Wagyu. We launched this in summer 2011, wanting to return to where our roots emerge, the Morucha breed.

We crossed the Wagyu bull we had bought with cows from three different breeds: Morucha, Limousin and Charolais. Seeing that this gave us a great increase in quality, we decided to create an exclusive Iberian Wagyu line, and extended the project to the production of meat of high quality.

In 2016, we want to add the “blanca cacereña” and “morucha en cárdeno” breed. We would like to see how wagyu genetics acts in different breeds. But we need at least up to 36 months to see the final results.

But that is why this project is so beautiful. It is like playing to be alchemists, looking for the best combinations until we can see the results.

We have managed to achieve a beef of exceptional quality, due to its high level of intramuscular infiltration (marbling), tenderness, depth of taste, and the colours of the meat and fat.

The beef that we are producing, certified with our “Wagyu Ibérico” quality brand, is a high quality beef due to its high muscular infiltration, softness, flavor, color and fat.

Our mission was searching for high quality beef that other kind of meats can not get.

This project looks for alternatives for the Dehesa owners to have a chance of making benefits in an industry that punishes us. This happens because we are a livestock company that is sustainable with the environment. We can not compete with other more intensive systems.

Besides, public administrations punish the dehesa for keeping a forestry mass we don’t take advantage of. We only make use of the fruit of the tree and its branchs. We only take adavantage of it in its last days. Later, it is pruned so other tree can take it over.

In this new project, we have a combination of rules when it comes to production:

It could sound easy, but it is really hard to apply in a very resistant to change industry.

To give professional status to means of production, we have achieved that all our human resources are familiar with new advances. They know how to manage dehesa lands.

Committed to innovation, we have adapted machinery already in use in other agricultural sectors, we have adapted to new technologies to achieve better grazing and new products distinguished by how they are made, by merging new technologies with the traditions of the countryside.

We adapt our production to new technologies and advances to improve pasture, keeping the autochthonous species and making advantage of foreign species to improve the quality. It happens the same with bovine species, we have to look for the quality to set our products apart from the competition.

Our desire is to use new ways of production to create some new products that are unique because they are made in the dehesa lands.

Our company makes a highly valued product that is made in the region of Extremadura. But administrations and end consumers must know that it is the difference in production costs what makes our first class product so valuable.

This is our livestock project of beef in the dehesa and we will fight for its survival in the XXI century. To achieve that, we also have to receive grants from the administration as other intensive livestock projects do. We would like the administrations to give us a compensation for developing a sustainable business. A recognition of quality by the end consumer would be great too.

We try to help through the associations we belong to:

–        Livestock Association 2008 (Asociación de Ganaderos 2008)

–        National Dehesa Federation (Federación Nacional de la Dehesa)

–        Spanish Wagyu Association (Asociación Wagyu de España, or AWE)

–        Sierra de Gata Regional Association (Asociación Somos Sierra de Gata)

Our vision is to run our ranch as consistently as possible with our understanding of the land, where short, medium and long-term financial viability have to coexist with maintaining or improving the biodiversity of our surroundings, the enjoyment of our family and friends of this spectacular area and, naturally, innovation while keeping up the traditions of the DEHESA.