One life
matured for a long time
XO
Beef is meat from ten-year-old dairy cows.
Until recently, this specialty was only available in France and Spain, where people know what’s good.
In these countries it was touted as an exclusive and high-quality product;
In Austria, however, the farmer was only paid a small price for the meat.
Fat, the number one flavor carrier, was vilified as unhealthy.
The strength grows slowly
With the industrialization of agriculture, the average age of beef cattle was dramatically reduced.
They used to have years to grow big and fat on pasture.
Today, just a few months (12-16) are enough to fatten them to slaughter weight.
This has dramatic effects, not least on the quality of the meat.
The founders of X.O. want to do this.
Don’t let the beef be eaten!
Full of flavor, richly marbled meat and the aroma of lush mountain meadows cannot be quickly fattened up in the stable.
Anyone who has ever tasted a perfectly ripe steak from a cow that has grazed in the pasture for years and was only slaughtered at the peak of its strength knows what we are talking about.
But who is that lucky?
Agriculture that keeps things in moderation
There are still such cattle in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, where the meadows are more lush and fat than anywhere else in Europe.
Their owners are dairy farmers who have been able to preserve the human proportions and wisdom of their ancestors.
Their animals produce outstanding milk and are allowed to graze on pastures for many summers.
They have what we call a species-appropriate life.
Only after ten years or more are they ready to be slaughtered.
Their meat has then grown to a strength that cannot even be dreamed of with conventional beef.
The magnificent marbling ensures unusual juiciness.
The credo: Become mature!
In collaboration with a slaughterhouse in the foothills of the Alps, the best, most intensely marbled pieces are identified in order to mature them for the domestic market.
In order for meat that has grown so slowly to become a taste revelation, one thing is needed above all: more time.
It ripens dry for at least seven weeks in climatically regulated ripening rooms under meticulously controlled conditions – just as it used to be a given.
That’s how much time it takes for the body’s own enzymes to work their magic and not only deepen the taste, but also tenderize the muscle fibers.
The mission
Cattle that have lived a good life true to their nature and purpose produce meat of exceptional quality.
The X.O. founders Robert and Ben wanted to make this available to Austrians in ideal maturity and at fair prices.
Robert Weishuber has always been enthusiastic about special foods and has rarely been disappointed in Austria.
Sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary things, like X.O.Beef.
The fascination for this delicacy led Robert to make this mission his career.
Benjamin Hofer lived in London for the last ten years, where he was able to taste and appreciate an old cow for the first time.
Ben has had the honor of working with many icons of international gastronomy and hospitality, including Massimo Bottura, René Redzepi, Nuno Mendes, Simon Rogan at establishments such as Claridges, Viajante and The Berkeley.
