Consumers unwilling to give up high-end butter

Despite economic uncertainty, fancier and fattier varieties remain in demand.

- By KRISTINA PETERSON

MAISON BORDIER is among the specialty butter brands sold at a cheese shop in Southern California.

(ELIZABETH CONLEY Houston Chronicle)

Every other Friday, exactly at 3 p.m., a highly coveted product goes on sale and sells out within minutes.

The limited release isn’t for the drop of a new sneaker or the latest Labubu. It’s for butter.

Saxelby Cheesemongers sells up to 60 pounds of cult-favorite Animal Farm Creamery butter at an eye-popping $60 per pound during its online-only flash sales. The average cost of butter is about $4.36 per pound. Made in Vermont, Animal Farm's super-creamy cultured butter isn’t available almost anywhere else.

Americans are increasingly willing to splurge on fancier, fattier butter — prized for its richer flavor and velvety-smooth mouthfeel. A bumpy economy and high inflation have pushed grocery prices up roughly 25% in the last five years, but people with money to spend are still shelling out on little luxuries. High-end butter for cooking, baking and slathering straight from the package is the latest indulgence.

Mare Dobiecki, 64, loves that the Animal Farm butter “sits on your tongue a little bit more.” He recently spent $108 for a pound, including shipping, after two previous failed attempts to get some. He prevailed on his third try, racing to place the order while boarding a plane.

“I held up traffic,” he said. “You've got to really want this butter.”

Sales of super-premium butter and premium butter surged double digits over the last year, outpacing the growth of mainstream butter, which saw sales tick up 11%, according to NielsenIQ. The market research firm said mainstream butter has been losing market share, declining to under 30% from nearly 34% two years ago.