Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Law & David Nong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jeff & David, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
At Kai Wagyu, every cut is premium, and every bite special. It only takes one bite—to get a taste into the world of wagyu beef and embark on a dining experience unlike any you’ve had before.
We import A5 Wagyu beef from Japan and ship directly to the customers home to enjoy a luxurious food experience in the comfort of their own home. We also just opened a premium butcher shop in Costa Mesa, CA with all types of A5 Wagyu cuts. We also supply restaurants, butcher shops and private chefs around the country!
I started this business due to a pivot during COVID-19. My previous business was a recruiting business in Tokyo, Japan. When COVID hit our business was forced to close, we had to let go of our employees and I was forced to come back to the US. It was a brutal time for us and everyone and I knew I needed to pivot in some way.
Living in Japan for a little while, I was so accustomed to eating wagyu beef in every bbq restaurant and wondered why “real” A5 Japanese wagyu was only accessible at Michelin star restaurants in the United States. I wished my friends and family could enjoy the best beef in the world like I was able to but for most people paying $400 for a tiny piece in a fancy restaurant was not feasible.
This was when I decided to start Kai Wagyu. First starting as an online business, we were able to overnight ship a full A5 Wagyu steak to the customers’ home for only around $100-$150. This led to us partnering with influencers, supplying butcher shops/restaurants around the country and now recently opening up our first retail shop in Orange County CA where we have all types of A5 Japanese Wagyu, Australian Wagyu, American Wagyu, an in-house premium caviar with specialty seasonings and salts.
How’d you meet your business partner?
I met my business partner David in business school. We both attended University of California Irvine Paul Merage School of Business for our MBA. Being that we were the only entrepreneurs in the class we connected quickly and became close friends.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
To fund our business, it was completely boot strapped. We did not want to bring in investors so early on and we also did not want to take loans of any sort because we were still trying to figure out if there was indeed a market for what we wanted to offer.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaiwagyu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiwagyu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaiwagyuofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm5N6SMx20CWjsMCnixkRLA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kai-wagyu-costa-mesa
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaiwagyu