From left to right: Mr. Yong Chen Kok (Director of Zenrich Allied Sdn. Bhd.), Mr. Koichi Takano (Managing Director of JETRO Kuala Lumpur) and Mr. Koshiro Sugimoto (Chief Executive Officer of Sugimoto-Honten Co., Ltd) at the Japanese Wagyu B2B Culinary Masterclass.
As Japanese Wagyu continues to gain traction in Malaysia, food and beverage operators are looking beyond familiar premium cuts such as tenderloin and sirloin to explore the culinary and commercial potential of a wider range of cuts.
Against this backdrop, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Kuala Lumpur partnered with Halal Japanese Wagyu supplier Zenrich Allied Sdn. Bhd. (Zenrich Wagyu) and the Kurohana Wagyu Export Promotion Consortium under the Flagship Export Production Area Initiative from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) to host an exclusive B2B trade masterclass on Japanese Wagyu, bringing together chefs, restaurant F&B directors and food-service professionals to explore the benefits of utilizing secondary cuts.
Master Butcher, Kenta Obasa presenting secondary wagyu cuts.
The initiative comes at a milestone moment for Japan-Malaysia food trade, as Japanese Wagyu beef officially stands as Japan’s single largest food and agricultural export category to Malaysia by value, according to JETRO. Export volumes have also continued to increase year-on-year, highlighting the growing importance of the Malaysian market for Japanese Wagyu.
Held today at La Moon TTDI Kuala Lumpur, the masterclass focused on helping F&B operators understand how cuts such as Shoulder Clod-Misuji (top blade), Togarashi (chuck tender) and Katasan (shoulder clod cut) can be utilized beyond conventional Wagyu steak offerings. The session combined practical butchery and slicing demonstrations with discussions on yield, menu applications, and purchasing considerations.
For chefs, the cuts can be adapted to dishes ranging from Shabu-Shabu and Sukiyaki to searing, braised preparations and innovative Halal wagyu creations such as Dim Sum. For F&B directors and purchasing decision-makers, greater familiarity with secondary cuts can provide additional options for product mix, menu diversification and whole-carcass utilization.
Koichi Takano talks about Wagyu being something Malaysians are getting much more familiar with.
“Japanese Wagyu is something that more people in Malaysia are becoming familiar with, and we believe there is an opportunity to make it more accessible by looking beyond the cuts that are most commonly seen,” said Mr. Koichi Takano, Managing Director of JETRO Kuala Lumpur. “By introducing a wider range of cuts to the food-service industry, we hope more people can discover Japanese Wagyu in different ways and at different types of dining establishments.”
Zenrich Wagyu has supplied Halal-certified Japanese Wagyu to Malaysia’s food-service industry for over a decade. The company has imported more than 192,000 kilograms of Japanese wagyu, equivalent to approximately 600 head of cattle, for supply to culinary establishments nationwide.
The masterclass forms part of JETRO KL and Zenrich Wagyu’s efforts to strengthen connections between Japanese food suppliers and Malaysia’s food-service industry, while encouraging broader appreciation and utilization of Japanese Wagyu across the whole carcass.
For more information on JETRO KL, visit https://www.jetro.go.jp/malaysia/ and to know more about Zenrich Wagyu, visit https://www.zenrichallied.com/. Information on the Flagship Export Production Area initiative can be found at Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website, https://www.maff.go.jp/j/shokusan/export/gfp/flagship_yusyutsu.html.
