Canstar Blue’s 2021 butter review has seen Duck River, ALDI Beautifully Butterfully, Mainland, Lurpak, Western Star, Devondale, Coles, Woolworths, Bertolli and ALDI Just Organic compared on taste, texture, ease of spreading, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Duck River was rated best in Canstar Blue’s 2021 butter ratings, achieving five-star reviews for taste, texture, ease of spread, packaging and overall satisfaction.
Butter is the unsung hero of any muffin, croissant, crumpet or toast. It’s the staple that pops up in all kinds of recipes, so you’re bound to have it stocked in your fridge ready to be whipped into action. As the backbone to our meals and desserts, butter needs to have the right blend of taste and value. But which brand is the bread to our butter?
To find out, we’ve again surveyed nearly 2,000 Australian consumers about the butter they’ve purchased and consumed within the last three months. Respondents compared and rated their brands on a widespread of factors, including taste, texture, ease of spread, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received the minimum sample size (30 responses) are featured in this year’s report.
Our latest ratings saw Duck River wipe ALDI Beautifully Butterfully off the top, ending the supermarket’s five-year winning streak. Duck River was rated best for overall satisfaction and achieved five-star reviews across most of the table.
Here are the best brands for butter in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Duck River is the second brand to win Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction award for butter, with ALDI previously championing the category every year since we started reviewing the grocery staple in 2016!
Duck River was the only brand to receive five stars for overall satisfaction as well as taste, texture, packaging and ease of spread. Although it’s worth mentioning that former winner ALDI Beautifully Butterfully managed to outdo Duck River on value for money, and scored an additional set of full marks for packaging.
ALDI Beautifully Butterfully ended up as runner-up and joined Mainland, Lurpak, Western Star and Devondale in scoring four stars for overall satisfaction. Coles, Woolworths, Bertolli and ALDI Just Organic rounded up the scores on three stars overall.
Duck River is perhaps one of Tasmania’s best-kept secrets, filling Aussie bellies with what they describe as an ‘all-natural, creamy premium quality butter’ since 1904. The range includes a soft butter blend and salt-reduced butter blend, both of which come in a 500g tub. Duck River also offers a pat of butter in either 250g or 500g options. Products from Duck River’s range include:
You can expect to fork out $3.40 to $7.20 for Duck River butter.
Beautifully Butterfully is an ALDI exclusive brand of table spreads and butters. All spreads from the range are claimed to be Australian-made and contain no preservatives or artificial colours and are vegetarian friendly. The brand also offers a Halal-certified option. Here are some product options from Beautifully Butterfully:
Prices for Beautifully Butterfully butter start from $2.79 for 250g and reach up to $3.49 for 500g.
According to Mainland, good things take time which is why its butter is crafted using only premium and natural ingredients said to be sourced from New Zealand. The brand is renowned for its dairy products, including cheeses and spreads, with classic butters and spreadable options also available. Mainland has three trademarked lines, namely ButterSoft, Organic Butter and Pure Butter. Here are some products from the range:
A Mainland tub of butter can set you back between $5 for a 250g block and up to $6.70 for a 375g tub.
Lurpak says it combines traditional methods with state-of-the-art technology to craft unmistakably fresh and ever-so-slightly aromatic Danish butter. Lurpak has been in the business of making premium butter ever since its inception in 1901 and now sells its products in more than 75 countries. Here is a sample selection from the Lurpak range:
Prices for Lurpak butter start from $5 for 250g at most supermarkets.
Western Star has been dishing up different types of butters since 1926, describing its products as ‘expertly crafted from natural ingredients’. The brand offers thickened cream products and different butter products, including regular and spreadable options, with low-salt alternatives also available. Here are some products from the Western Star range:
Prices for Western Star butter start from $3.20 for 250g and go up to $7 for 500g products.
Devondale’s philosophy is that dairy is with you from childhood to adulthood, which is why it offers a wide variety of products. This includes milk, cheese, butter and spreads. Devondale offers several butter options in a variety of sizes, such as 250g, 375g and 500g. Some options from the range include:
A tub of Devondale butter can cost $5.70 for a 500g tub or $4.30 for a 250g block.
Coles own brand is the supermarket’s ‘bread and butter’ line of low-price household and pantry essentials. The private label offers a small variety of butters, including regular and soft spreads, at affordable prices, compared to other commercial brands. Here is a sample selection from the range:
Prices for Coles butter start from $2.80 for 500g, exclusive to Coles.
Woolworths has a couple of affordable ranges for everyday items, including just ‘Woolworths’ and Woolworths Essentials, both of which have butter options. Woolies butter apparently does not contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Some products include:
Prices typically start from $3.25 for a block of 250g butter.
The Bertolli legacy started hundreds of years ago and lives on through authentic flavours imbued in the brand’s assortment of table spreads, condiments and frozen meals. Bertolli offers a range of regular and soft butters, as well as margarine and olive oil spreads. Here are some products from the range:
A tub of Bertolli butter costs on average $5 for 400g from most supermarkets.
Aside from Beautifully Butterfully, ALDI also offers the Just Organic range as another affordable alternative. At the time of writing, there’s currently only one product available ─ the Just Organic Butter. This 250g block of salted butter is claimed to be made with natural ingredients and to not contain artificial ingredients. You can expect to buy it exclusively at ALDI for $3.59.
Apart from discovering which butter brands Aussies love most, our research also identified some key findings. Almost a third of survey respondents (28%) said they eat butter every day, making it a staple on the grocery list. A similar number (30%) said they primarily use butter for cooking. Additionally, 39% have tried multiple butter brands and types. Here are some of the other key findings from our survey:
As an important ingredient in so many meals – as well as simply the thing we put on toast – taste is naturally the most important factor of customer satisfaction, as shown by our survey results. If our ratings are anything to go by, there can be a big difference. So, if your butter isn’t providing you with that great taste you’re after, it’s easy to switch.
Texture was found to be the second most important driver of customer satisfaction when it comes to butter. But having butter that’s also easy to spread is a plus. It’s never fun when butter is rock hard and destroys the delicate little piece of toast that you’re trying to spread it on. Some brands boast their products as ‘spreadable’ on the packaging, but only you can be the judge of that.
Value for money seems to be an important factor for Aussies, with ALDI scoring top marks in this area, while in some other categories it got four stars. When it comes to price, our survey identified that nearly one in five consumers (17%) said they always buy the cheapest brand, and almost two in five (39%) always buy the same brand.
While packaging design shouldn’t make any real difference to the butter itself, it could certainly help convince you to try one brand over another. Although, majority of respondents to our survey said they last purchased a tub (45%), while nearly two out of five people opted for a block of butter (37%).
Some brands offer a measuring guide on their packaging, which removes the need to get your scale out when you’re cooking. You might also find some packaging is better than others after it has been opened. There’s nothing worse than butter going bad because the packaging lets you down.
So, there you have it! If your butter isn’t buttering you up anymore, there’s plenty of choice out there.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Picture credits: Stockcreations/Shutterstock.com,/ 4 PM production / Shutterstock.com, / Lim /shutterstock.com.
Duck River took the lead in this year’s ratings and was rated best in most categories:
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and consumed butter from a supermarket or grocer within the last three months – in this case, 1,967 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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