Cows grazing on a dairy farm in New Zealand
courtesy of Westland Milk Products

Beneficial butter

A look at the making of Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter

by Jen madera

Who knew that butter could be good for you? It turns out that cows that graze on grass produce milk that’s packed with health benefits. Then, it takes a skilled manufacturer to turn—or churn—that milk into a high-quality, flavorful butter. That’s what Costco buyer Mark Klauber and his team were searching for when they collaborated with Westland Milk Products in Hokitika, New Zealand, to create Kirkland Signature™ Grass-Fed Butter, launched in 2021.

According to Hamish Yates, general manager of sales and marketing at Westland Milk Products, when eaten in moderation, Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter provides a number of benefits for your diet. “It offers a natural source of vitamin A and boasts high levels of conjugated linoleic acid, which assists in regulating the immune system and maintaining cardiovascular health. These high levels of omega-3 fatty acids also offer anti-inflammatory benefits,” says Yates. “We were aiming for high-quality, grass-fed butter with a great taste at an affordable price, and that’s what we’ve come up with,” Klauber adds. Here’s a look at how the product is made.

The grass is greener

Globally, there are no regulations for the percentage of grass that must make up a cow’s diet in order to label a dairy product as grass-fed. Costco and Westland Milk Products, however, set an extremely high standard.

According to Yates, the cows that supply the milk for Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter feed on at least 95% grass, with a rigorous process to ensure the accuracy of this number.

“Each one of our supplying farms is audited annually to calculate the amount of grass-fed forage consumed by their herds. This takes into consideration all of the supplementary feed brought onto any farm, the land area of the farm’s own grazing pastures, herd numbers, herd breed types and a number of other factors to determine the percentage of grass-based feed consumed,” says Yates.

The remaining 5% of supplementary grain feed the cows consume on these farms does not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—that’s because GMOs and growth hormones are banned in New Zealand dairy farming.

From farm to fridge

Approximately 400 local farms supply the fresh milk used to create Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter. “The farms are beautiful, and you can see the herds are healthy and have plenty of space,” Klauber says.

The milk is collected from the farms daily—except in winter, when the cows are rested before the calving season. It is then brought to the Westland Milk Products factory, located on New Zealand’s South Island. Here, the milk is pasteurized, the milk and cream are separated—or skimmed—and the cream is chilled and churned using the Fritz churn method, a traditional European method of butter making dating back to 1893.

Yates says that during the churning process, the fat content percentage of the cream doubles, as the liquid buttermilk separates and drains away. This process ensures consistency in the quality and taste of the product.

Westland Milk Products has a long history in butter making. “The company’s origin can be traced back more than 150 years in the region, when a small group of farmer-owned butter factories merged together. The current site has been churning butter since 1976,” Yates explains.

The company is staffed by highly skilled, experienced butter-makers. “They know by eye when the butter is just right,” Yates adds.

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