Kerrygold Butter Production

Kerrygold butter is made from the finest quality cream of pasteurised milk. It is one of the few foods which can be described as completely natural. Essentially the cream is churned into a solid state – pure, natural butter, made in Ireland for over 3,000 years.

The butter making process itself is simple and small amounts can be made at home. However, in order to make large volumes of butter in a creamery, fresh milk is poured into a machine, known as a separator. The cream rises to the top and is skimmed off into a churn. The resulting fluid is known as skim milk. The cream is then churned for approximately 30-45 minutes. The churn spins and separates the solids from the remaining liquid, which is known as buttermilk. The buttermilk is drained off and the remaining solid, butter, is salted (max 2%) to preserve and enhance its flavour. Finally the butter is taken from the churn and transferred to a packing machine where it is weighed and wrapped in Kerrygold's signature gold foil for export around the world.

From contented dairy herds

Milk Reception Milk tankers transport fresh milk direct from our farms. Quality approved fresh milk is transferred to chilled tanks for cream separation.

Cream Separation The fresh milk is separated into cream and skim milk.
The cream is used to make our butter.

Cream Pasteurisation The cream is pasteurised to make it safe to consume.

Cream Holding The cream is held overnight to stabilise the fat globules.

Cream Churning The cream is agitated to release the fat and liquid phase. Further agitation causes the released fat to coalesce into butter grains. The liquid phase (buttermilk) is drained away.

Butter Grain Working The butter grains are worked (mixed) to form our smooth and creamy butter.

Butter Salting (Salted Butter Only) A little salt is added to accentuate the inherent flavour of our butter.

Butter Working The butter is gently worked to ensure even distribution of the salt.

Butter Packing The butter is wrapped in the iconic gold foil and is dispatched to contented consumers across the globe.