For the Stonecipher family, it started out as a brisket they picked up for a party they were having and turned into an online business. As you can imagine, that brisket was pretty darn good. Elizabeth Stonecipher explains why she and her husband Adam decided to start their company, 550 Wagyu, in Tippecanoe County.
“We liked the meat and just decided let’s go that route with our cows. A lot of our cows are angus-based, so calving ease is good for that. But Wagyu bulls are also calving ease and with our schedule- our kids are in sports and 4-H, Adam works full-time- with all those things, it’s nice to know that, most of the time, we’re not going to have an issue. So, it was a win-win for us.”
Wagyu is a Japanese cattle breed and Wagyu cows are typically raised longer than traditional beef cattle. As for the beef, Stonecipher describes what you’re getting if you buy from them.
“It’s just a rich marbley beef. So, that marbling in that beef kind of melts when you cook it and it’s just rich and buttery tasting. It’s just really delicious. You’re going to notice a difference between a traditional angus steak than something with Wagyu just because of the marbling.”
550 Wagyu
Farmers around Indiana have started to take advantage of farmers markets around the state. You can find the Stoneciphers in West Lafayette at their farmers market on Wednesday nights this summer.
“And they are extending their hours in June, July, and August until eight o’clock. It’ll be from 4-8 during that period of time. We are going to do a pop-up at the Lafayette Market a couple of times to see how that will go. And if anybody’s in the Indy area or the outskirts, we do Market Wagon as well.”
You can also visit them online at 550wagyu.com. 550 Wagyu is a member of Indiana Grown, a program of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to promote products grown or made by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers!
