Laois Wagyu farmer starring in new SuperValu advertisements

Pictured at Cathal Doyle's farm in Co. Laois are Cathal with Áine Geary, SuperValu Beef Trading Manager and Luke Hanlon, SuperValu Managing Director. | Freelance

placeholder image — Pictured at Cathal Doyle's farm in Co. Laois are Cathal with Áine Geary, SuperValu Beef Trading Manager and Luke Hanlon, SuperValu Managing Director. | Freelance

A Laois farmer producing trendy and expensive Wagyu beef is starring in a new nationwide advertising campaign by SuperValu.

Cathal Doyle is a beef farmer from the Cullenagh / Ballyroan area.

He welcomed his first Wagyu calves in 2024, and found that they thrived well on Irish farms.

“I’m farming at home here with my father and two brothers. We’ve been farming calf’s beef for the last seven years.

“The programme itself is just extremely beneficial to us, it’s brilliant to be able to have our products on shelves all year round for the consumer,” Cathal Doyle says.

SuperValu says it has invested €2.4m to launch Ireland’s first Wagyu beef programme at scale, in partnership with Kepak Group.

The Wagyu programme is working with 150 producers across the country to deliver the premium Irish steaks, priced at €10 each in SuperValu.

It is Ireland’s first end-to-end Wagyu beef supply chain, ensuring on-shelf availability all year round in SuperValu shops.

Wagyu cattle originated in Japan, as a cross of Japanese and imported breeds. The calves are allowed to live for twice as long as traditional beef cattle, in a low stress environment. This produces meat richly marbled with fat, which melts during cooking to produce a “buttery flavour and velvety texture”.

Luke Hanlon is the Managing Director of Super Valu.

“It’s a real game changer in terms of bringing the best quality Irish beef to Irish consumers,” he said.

Cathal Doyle with Brian Tormey, Chief Executive Officer of Ireland's Meat Division at Kepak Group and Luke Hanlon, SuperValu Managing Director. SuperValu walk the land in Laois. | Freelance

Brian Tormey is CEO at Ireland’s meat division at Kepak Group.

“Farmers want to be rewarded for quality. This programme brings together a clear route to market, transparency on pricing and access to a premium tier of product.

“It’s a sustainable model built to support the future of Irish farming.

“The programme is built on bringing world leading Wagyu genetics together with Irish farmers. All Irish produced so you know you can trust it,” Mr Tormey said.