Zuckerberg’s Cattle Business: Feeding Macadamia Nuts and Beer to Cows

The social media tycoon Mark Zuckerberg has established a new business venture with cattle producing expensive meat at his ranch in Hawaii.

He recently boasted of raising “world-class” beef cattle on his sprawling luxury Hawaiian hideaway.

The Meta billionaire posted a picture of himself on Wednesday eating a steak – medium rare, no sides – from his Ko’olau ranch, a 1,400-acre compound on Kauai, Hawaii’s oldest island.

“Started raising cattle at [the] Ko’olau ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to create some of the highest quality beef in the world,” wrote Zuckerberg on Instagram.

“Each cow eats 5,000-10,000lbs of food each year, so that’s a lot of acres of macadamia trees. My daughters help plant the mac trees and take care of our different animals. We’re still early in the journey and it’s fun improving on it every season. Of all my projects, this is the most delicious,” added Zuckerberg, whose wealth currently stands at $129 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Macadamia nuts are the most expensive nuts in the world. A one-pound bag can cost around twenty-five dollars, almost twice as much as other nuts like almonds, and they’ve been breaking price records year after year.

Considered a high-quality dessert nut because of its rich, buttery flavor, macadamia nuts are a popular treat and a trendy import in countries like China and the United States.

They’re only harvested five to six times a year, typically by hand. Their thick shell, often removed before sale, makes it difficult to tell the ripe nuts from the unripe ones, making the harvesting process more work-intensive and costly. Macadamias have become increasingly popular because of their high fat content.

The cattle will be raised on macadamia nuts and beer produced within the $100 million compound, which will also house an underground bunker and energy projects.

Zuckerberg’s cattle at one of the most expensive ranches in the world

The Facebook founder’s complex called Ko’olau Ranch is already partially constructed and is shaping up to be one of the most expensive personal construction projects in modern history, according to a Wired investigation of property records and interviews with contractors.

The compound on Kauai island will consist of more than a dozen buildings with two central mansions that will be connected by a tunnel that leads to a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter with an escape hatch accessible via a ladder, Wired reported, citing building plans.

Musk is saying collapse is inevitable and to buy food and ammo while Zuckerberg is building a literal island fortress. What does that tell you about what the elite increasingly view the future being like? https://t.co/D40O97QmGA

— Carolina Lion (@CarolinaLion2) December 15, 2023

“Raising cattle on water-intensive macadamia nuts and beer is just a billionaire’s strange sideshow,” said Mitch Jones, policy director at Food & Water Watch, a national legal and policy nonprofit, in speaking to The Guardian. “We need real agriculture reform to address the inequities in our food system and the reality of a warming climate.”

“We need to promote the viability of small and medium-sized farms that work to feed everyone, not just wealthy celebrities,” Jones commented.