Butter and creamers might not land a starring role on the plate or in the bowl like their cheese and ice cream dairy cousins, but they are important and versatile supporting actors. Butter enhances the flavor and appeal of foods ranging from cookies to lobster, while creamers elevate coffee and other beverages and can add richness to culinary dishes.  

Moreover, the butter and creamer categories are no longer limited to commodity-type offerings. The categories have been riding an innovation wave in recent years.

Premium, natural rule in butter

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, butter sales took off as more consumers cooked at home. Sales have since cooled off for much of the butter set. Premium butter, however, continues to be an overachiever within the category.

“Premium butter continues to show growth as the rest of the butter section settles back from the COVID sales spike,” says Venae Watts, fifth-generation co-owner of Minerva Dairy, Minerva, Ohio. “Consumers are continuing to cook at home and … research products they bring home. This is great news for premium butter manufacturers.”

In response, retailers have been adding shelf space to support the premium butter set, she notes.

Nicola O’Connell, head of commercial for Dublin-based Glanbia brand Truly Grass Fed, also sees strong consumer interest in premium butters — noting that “consumers are trading up to better products.”

On the premium front, Dublin, Calif.-based Challenge Dairy Products Inc. recently introduced spreadable butter with 100% pure avocado oil under its Challenge Butter brand, notes Michael Burdeny, president of the company.

The shift to premium goes hand in hand with the shift to natural.

“Overall, we see strong growth in premium natural categories,” O’Connell says. “Consumers are seeking more nutritious products, reading labels, parsing ingredient lists, and examining certifications. It may be that … consumers are looking for ways to improve their health after two-plus years living with a pandemic.”

Burdeny agrees, noting that consumers also are seeking out products with fewer ingredients.

Speaking of fewer ingredients, Truly Grass Fed launched a spreadable butter this year that boasts only two: sweet cream sourced from grass-fed cows and salt. Its natural spreadability comes from softer fats resulting from the Truly Grass Fed pasture-based grazing system and the cows' summertime milk production.

Consumers are also more concerned than ever about the origin of their foods and gravitate toward products “from companies that value transparency and sustainability,” Burdeny says.

“It’s integral for butter-makers to be transparent about their farming practices and where the milk that creates their products comes from,” he notes. “For example, Challenge is committed to becoming a leader in sustainable farming and animal welfare practices.”

O’Connell adds that the demand for “purpose-driven, environmentally conscious brands” has been on the rise.

“Sustainably produced brands like Truly Grass Fed are helping to drive category growth,” she says. “Consumer awareness of climate change and increasing focus on overall health and wellness are influencing buying habits. Consumers are looking for butter products labeled grass-fed, animal welfare approved, and non-GMO.”

Flavored butter boasts appeal, too

Added flavors are on trend, too, within the butter space — particularly on the premium side.

“I see two splits emerging: trending flavors and complexity of taste to staple products,” Watts points out.

Minerva Dairy recently tapped into the trending flavors side with the introduction of a limited-edition premium butter with everything bagel seasoning, Watts notes. In addition, Minerva Dairy’s premium Garlic Herb butter — a permanent offering — adds complexity to dishes and has been gaining retail shelf space, Watts notes. She predicts that the next trending flavor in the butter space will be black lime.

As for the other split, that’s tied to consumers’ desire for ingredients to kick their home cooking “up a notch” and “add layers of complexity without overpowering the dish,” she says. Crafted butters have the depth of flavors to allow them to do this.

This spring, Challenge Butter also tapped into the flavored butter trend — as well as the ongoing trend toward snacking — with its butter Snack Spreads (see the Eat.Drink.Dairy. section in this issue). Billed as easy to use for topping, dipping, spreading, slathering, sauteing, and more, the lineup comes in three dessert Snack Spread flavors (Vanilla Fudge, Chocolate Dessert, and Salted Caramel) and three seasoned Snack Spread flavors (Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan & Herb, and Everything Seasoned).

“Challenge Butter designed these Snack Spreads to bring new enthusiasm to the category while also inspiring consumers to use butter during new occasions and dayparts,” Burdeny says. “The Snack Spreads can be used right out the fridge to add fast flavor to meals and snacks using the power of fresh butter and fresh ingredients.”

Creamers are flavored-up, too

Speaking of flavors, they have been trending on the creamer side for a number of years. And that trend shows no signs of slowing down. Much of the recent flavor innovation, however, has been on the nondairy creamer side.

In its October 2021 “United States Coffee Creamer Market” report, Indian market research firm Mordor Intelligence notes that demand for dairy-free creamers is increasing, especially among younger consumers.

“Thus, an increasing number of players have a wide portfolio of dairy-free creamers with innovative flavor,” the report states.