AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. If you've been inside a supermarket lately, you know that groceries are getting pretty expensive, right? Prices keep going up. Grocery shopping has become an exercise in bargain hunting, buying store brands, using coupons, cutting back on spending for meat, seafood, eggs, even coffee - yes, coffee. But there is one item that shoppers across the country are apparently hooked on, and that is butter. And not just any butter. We're talking about premium butter. Kristina Peterson covers the food industry for Bloomberg, and she joins us now to talk about the luxury butter market. Welcome, Kristina.
KRISTINA PETERSON: Thank you so much for having me.
CHANG: Well, thank you for being here. I mean, I am a huge butter addict, but I need you to explain this nationwide. Like, Americans are already cutting back on most of their spending. Even though they are doing that, butter, of all things, seems to be defying that trend. Can you just explain why is this happening?
PETERSON: I think there are really a couple of reasons here. One goes back to the pandemic, when everyone just did more cooking at home and little luxuries that could elevate that and make it feel a little bit more special became popular, and butter was a big one of those. People were also baking more bread.
CHANG: Yes.
PETERSON: And so having something a little bit fancy to go on that, that wouldn't break the bank but was maybe a little bit more expensive than usual, kind of came in vogue. And...
CHANG: But affordable - an affordable indulgence, if you will.
PETERSON: Exactly. Exactly. And now I think people see it as something that just gives them a little bit of joy at a time when they are pulling back elsewhere. You know, if you spend $10 on butter, that is more than most people would normally do, but it's not the same as buying a super expensive bottle of wine, for...
CHANG: Sure.
PETERSON: ...Example.
CHANG: Absolutely. OK. It's like, OK, I'm being a little naughty here, but you know what, I need a little something something to make my day a little better.
PETERSON: Yeah, and it lasts a while. You know, you don't consume a pound of butter in a sitting, hopefully.
CHANG: Exactly (laughter). Well, sometimes with me, I can get close. OK, so for people who are not aware of this trend, what are we even talking about when we are talking about premium butter?
PETERSON: Yeah, it comes in several different forms. So sometimes it's grass-fed. But one of the increasingly popular versions of premium butter is actually this European-style butter that has a higher percentage of butterfat. In Europe, butter has to be at least 82% butterfat. In the U.S., it's at least 80%. But companies that make butter started making these higher butterfat butters for chefs, and they were really popular. And so word got out, and people started asking for them at a retail level. And now more and more U.S. butter makers are now making these products that are creamier, a little bit fattier and sometimes have flakes of sea salt in them.
CHANG: Oh, yummy, yummy, yummy. OK, wait. So just give people an idea, when we're talking about this fattier, creamier butter, sometimes with flakes of sea salt, what are some of the prices out there? Give people an idea.
PETERSON: If you're talking about French or Irish butters, they are more expensive than your standard supermarket butters.
CHANG: Sure.
PETERSON: So you might be paying $10 for half a pound or more. But there are also some artisanal butters in the U.S. that are really expensive. There is a $60-a-pound butter from a place called...
CHANG: What?
PETERSON: ...Animal Farm Creamery.
CHANG: Oh, my God (laughter).
PETERSON: And that's really due to the fact that they have a very small herd of cows, and therefore, there's a much smaller supply of this prized milk that's going into this butter. So it's really...
CHANG: OK.
PETERSON: ...About...
CHANG: Hold on. Who is buying $60-a-pound butter?
PETERSON: I think for these people, the challenge of actually getting this butter is part of the fun. I spoke with one gentleman who it took him three times...
CHANG: Oh, my God.
PETERSON: ...To successfully purchase the butter because it sold out so fast. And the third time, he was so intent on getting his order through that he was boarding a plane, and he held up traffic to make sure that he...
CHANG: (Laughter).
PETERSON: ...Indeed, got the butter.
CHANG: I mean, I was going to ask you. Have you tasted this $60 butter? Is it truly better?
PETERSON: I regret to inform you I have not tasted the $60 butter.
CHANG: (Laughter).
PETERSON: I did taste the $10 butter. It was delicious.
CHANG: Well, what do you think all of this says to you about our food habits, maybe even our emotions as we're grocery shopping?
PETERSON: I think it does indicate that there's some bigger eating changes afoot. You know, there's been a real shift away from the low-fat diet. And there's also been a swing away from ultra-processed food. In the '70s, margarine was really popular.
CHANG: Totally. I grew up on margarine.
PETERSON: Yeah. Now consumers are looking for something with a, quote, "clean label," and butter is just cream and salt, so it's really a short ingredient list. It feels like an uncomplicated, unprocessed food to people. So I think those are all elements of it. And also, you know, butter makes things taste good.
CHANG: Oh, it totally does (laughter). That is Bloomberg reporter Kristina Peterson speaking to us about her story on premium butters. Thank you so much, Kristina.
PETERSON: Thank you. Thank you for your enthusiasm about butter.
CHANG: (Laughter) Who wouldn't be enthusiastic about butter? Oh, my God. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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