An Offaly farmer and a Dublin entrepreneur are partnering to introduce a new olive-based foodstuff for cattle.

Bryan Dunne operates an 80-acre farm in Edenderry, Co. Offaly, where he manages a herd of Wagyu cattle. The highly-prized Japanese breed of cattle produce beef with a distinctive marbled meat, which is the most expensive beef in the world.

Dunne’s herd will be the first in Ireland to be fed on a new livestock feed supplement launched by Dublin entrepreneur Gavin Dunne (no relation).

The foodstuff is sourced from the pulp and skin of olives in the Corfu and Kalamata regions of Greece.

Gavin Dunne was previously involved in real estate ventures and software development before launching his olive feed company late last year. Called the Olive Feed Corporation, the firm’s operating company was originally named Gameday Studios Limited.

In Association with

Gameday was founded by Dunne and US entrepreneur Emanuel Petroulakis and launched in 2016. The startup sold white-label fantasy sports software platforms.

Gavin and Bryan Dunne now own the renamed Olive Feed Corporation, and the company aims to export its olive feed to Wagyu cattle breeders around the world.

Bryan Dunne’s ten-strong Wagyu herd will have its beef marketed under the brand name Millmount Wagyu.

The Offaly farmer said that his plan is to reduce his involvement in suckler stock to place greater emphasis on building up his Wagyu herd. “Our goal will be to kill at least one olive-fed animal per week, increasing as demand for its meat grows,” he said.

“Another priority will be to build towards the goal of having 15 top-end breeding cows. We also plan to acquire a breeding bull, probably from USA, providing we can be certain of getting the genetics right.”

The olive feed is used to supplement up to 25% of a Wagyu animal’s diet for  four months before slaughter. Millmount olive-fed Wagyu beef is on the menu of Dublin restaurants Clanbrassil House and Tomahawk Steakhouse, and sold in Dwyer’s Family Butchers in Merrion Shopping Centre, and Grennan’s Butchers in Tullamore.

Photo: Gavin Dunne (left) and Bryan Dunne (right), with agriculture minister Michael Creed and Clanbrassil House Restaurant head chef Grainne O’Keefe