First Take: Butter
Butter has been around for about 10,000 years. And yet, butter has been trending in new ways throughout the past few years, thanks in part to social media. The Butter Board was a popular social media trend that showed a huge spread of butter on a charcuterie board, topped with ingredients. Butter coffee, thanks to the keto diet, has also gained popularity. The color butter yellow was even trending as the unofficial “color of the year” for 2025 across fashion and home décor.
There are still tried-and-true trends being celebrated, such as Albert Straus, founder of The Straus Family Creamery, being honored with the Organic Lifetime Achievement Award for more than three decades of pioneering organic and carbon-neutral dairy farming.
Matthew Dillon, Co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association, said, “Albert’s pioneering vision has helped build the foundation for today’s organic dairy movement. His leadership in sustainability and climate innovation is inspiring not only within the organic sector but for agriculture at large.”
Where can we expect the butter category to go this year? Well, if two chef-inspired brands have any say in it, butter is getting a flavor makeover. Four herb, garlic & shallot, maple & cinnamon, truffle, hot honey—easy flavor for easier healthy cooking.
Churn, a chef-founded brand that sources the best ingredients and extracts the most flavor from them, is leading the charge in flavored butter.
Michael Tashman, founder of Churn Foods, stated, “The default for most healthy cooking is olive and avocado oil. People love butter, but don’t cook with it as much. Butter is incredible. Chefs love butter. I’m obsessed. At Churn, it’s all about cooking with butter and getting people to use it.”
Epicurean Butter is another chef-inspired flavored butter that combines the finest ingredients with time-saving convenience to create an easy, reliable way to make food taste better without the extra prep time or long grocery list.
Previously, Epicurean’s Maple Syrup Flavored Butter has been honored with the Food and Beverage Innovation (FABI) Award. A recognition from the National Restaurant Association that celebrates food and beverage products that break new ground in taste, creativity, and marketability.
“Winning a FABI Award is more than an honor—it’s an opportunity to share our passion for flavored butter with an even wider audience. This recognition not only boosts our brand’s visibility but also reaffirms our mission to provide exceptional culinary products that inspire creativity in the kitchen.”
Will flavored butter be the hot new trend? Tashman of Churn Foods stated, “I’m most optimistic about the launches we have and the opportunity that’s in front of us to pioneer this new category in the butter section. We want flavored butters to become a thing. Flavored butters haven’t been a national thing; they’ve been regional, small brands, but flavored butters deserve a spot on the shelf next to the plain butters. That’s the mission we are after. I’m excited to continue to pioneer this opportunity for us and other brands to come into this space.”
In general, consumers are embracing more natural foods. That means margarine consumption has decreased significantly due to consumer awareness of trans-fat content, leading to butter’s resurgence.
Churn corroborated this finding. Tashman shared, “Data in the category shows consumers are interested in real fats and are going away from margarine and plant-fed. Churn is perfectly suited to appeal to that customer with our grass-fed and pasture-raised butter and chef-driven ingredients and the flavor we feature.”
Challenge Dairy is looking to capitalize on the increased demand for natural products too. But they’re innovating in a different way. According to their website, they are “introducing the shape of the future.” Their new individually wrapped butter cubes require less measuring and less mess.
They’ve also dabbled in flavor butter, as well. In an earlier press release, Michael Burdeny, President of Challenge Dairy Products, stated, “Our Butter Snack Spread line is designed to bring more flavor to our consumers, so we are thrilled to add Lawry’s, a family favorite kitchen staple, to our latest offering. Challenge and Lawry’s products have been loved for generations, and we predict fans of both will be ecstatic to easily elevate their snacks and meals with this new versatile butter.”
Churn isn’t just innovating in flavor. They are also experimenting with a new butter format with individually portioned butter and a new location in retail.
Tashman explained, “We are merchandising flavored butter in the meat case, where people are shopping for chicken or the ribeye. They will see the butter, and it helps customers see it’s not just a condiment, but they can put it on a protein or their vegetables. This is also our first venture in a new format away from the tub.”
Another trend to watch is how A2 will affect this category. A2 milk comes from cows naturally producing only the A2 beta-casein protein, unlike most conventional milk (A1/A2 mix), and is marketed as easier to digest for some, potentially reducing gas, bloating, or discomfort for those sensitive to the A1 protein. The A2 milk trend is a rapidly growing dairy market segment driven by consumer demand for easier-to-digest milk. The U.S. market is projected to hit nearly $1.8 billion by 2030.
Butter is evolving. Shape. Flavor. Location in the grocery store. But no matter how far it goes, Tashman of Churn reminded us, “Butter is nostalgic, it takes you back. That’s not going anywhere.”
