What is Black Opal Wagyu?

Black Opal is an F1 Wagyu, a first-generation cross of Wagyu and Angus cattle, raised in southern Australia. The name comes from the Australian black opal, the rarest and most highly valued form of opal; like its namesake, Black Opal's genetic lineage has been many years in the making.

What does F1 Wagyu mean?

F1 means first generation: a cross between a Wagyu and another breed, in Black Opal's case Angus. Black Opal describes the result as a balance of robust beef flavor, fine white marbling and buttery texture.

How is Black Opal raised?

Each steak takes about 1,200 days from birth to plate. Calves are bred by intergenerational farming families in Victoria and Tasmania and spend around eight months with their mothers on pasture before moving to grazing land. They are then grain-fed for at least 380 days on a cereal-based ration, with no added hormones, in Victoria and Southern New South Wales, and processed at about 24–30 months in Victoria.

Why is Black Opal so consistent?

Black Opal cattle are kept on a steady, consistent, high-quality diet across their whole lives, from pasture through their grain ration. That even growth is what produces Black Opal's deep, evenly distributed marbling and its consistency from one steak to the next. Black Opal is also using ultrasound to read each animal's marbling before processing, helping time every animal to its marbling peak.

What marble scores does Herd & Grace's Black Opal come in?

Most of Herd & Grace's Black Opal steaks and roasts grade MB 6–7. Select cuts, such as the boneless ribeye roll and picanha, grade MB 8–9, and some ribeye rolls grade MB 9+. About marbling.

Has Black Opal won awards?

Yes. In 2026 alone, Black Opal was named Champion Branded Meat at the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards, where it also topped the Branded Wagyu class; gold at the 2026 Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards (Open division); and gold at the 2026 Australian Wagyu Association branded beef awards.

Who serves Black Opal?

Black Opal is served by restaurants and butchers in Australia and around the world. Melbourne's Wood and Grill and Grange Meat Co, and Sydney's George's Fine Meats, are among those who praise its consistency.

Which Black Opal cuts does Herd & Grace sell?

Ribeye, New York strip, filet mignon, tomahawk, Denver (zabuton), picanha, tri-tip, brisket, flank, boneless ribeye rolls and bone-in rib roasts, plus curated filet, New York and ribeye boxes. Herd & Grace ages Black Opal cuts before freezing them at their peak, and ships them frozen across the US. Shop Black Opal.

Black Opal Wagyu

Black Opal is an F1 Wagyu from Australia: a Wagyu and Angus cross, raised on Victoria and Tasmania's pristine pastures and then grain-fed for a minimum of 380 days with no added hormones.

Named after the rarest of Australian gemstones, Black Opal is known for fine white marbling, a buttery texture, and consistency from steak to steak. In 2026 it was named Champion Branded Meat at the Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards.

Shop Black Opal Cuts

Every Black Opal steak is the result of a 1,200-day journey. Calves spend around eight months with their mothers on pasture, graze on grassland in Victoria and Tasmania, then are grain-fed for at least 380 days on a cereal-based ration.

The cattle are kept on a steady, consistent diet their whole lives, which is what gives Black Opal its marbling and its consistency.

At a glance

F1 Wagyu: Wagyu × Angus cross
Minimum 380 days on grain
No added hormones
Bred in Victoria and Tasmania
Fed in Victoria and Southern NSW
Most cuts MB 6–7; select cuts MB 8–9 and 9+

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Black Opal at a glance

Black Opal Wagyu facts
Breed	F1 Wagyu (Wagyu × Angus cross)
Raised	Victoria and Tasmania: about 8 months with their mothers on pasture, then on grazing land
Feeding	Grain-fed for a minimum of 380 days on a naturally developed, cereal-based ration
Never used	Added hormones
Age at processing	About 24–30 months
Whole process	About 1,200 days from birth to plate
Fed	Victoria and Southern NSW
Processed	Victoria, Australia
Marble scores at Herd & Grace	Most cuts MB 6–7; select cuts MB 8–9 and MB 9+
Awards (2026)	Champion Branded Meat, Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards; gold, Sydney Royal Fine Food Awards; gold, Australian Wagyu Association branded beef awards

Each steak takes about 1,200 days from birth to plate. Calves are bred by intergenerational farming families in Victoria and Tasmania and spend around eight months with their mothers on pasture before moving to grazing land. They are then grain-fed for at least 380 days on a cereal-based ration, with no added hormones, in Victoria and Southern New South Wales, and processed at about 24–30 months in Victoria.

Black Opal cattle are kept on a steady, consistent, high-quality diet across their whole lives, from pasture through their grain ration. That even growth is what produces Black Opal's deep, evenly distributed marbling and its consistency from one steak to the next. Black Opal is also using ultrasound to read each animal's marbling before processing, helping time every animal to its marbling peak.

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Black Opal at a glance

Black Opal Wagyu: your questions answered

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