All of the family farms in our supply network provide outdoor pasture access to their girls during the warmer months, an average of 200 days a year. During the colder months, the cows spend their days in a warm, comfortable barn with plenty of room to express their natural behaviors and socialize with their herd. During all four seasons, the girls have plenty of room in the barns to eat, drink, and lie down in a clean, dry space.

Yes! Family farms are an essential part of our mission to bring ethically produced food to the table. The family farmers who produce our butter are located in the island of Ireland. Many of them have been multi-generational farms for decades. These family farmers share our passion for animal welfare, sustainable farming practices and are committed to continuous improvement.

Yes, lactic acid is a standard ingredient in Vital Farms’ unsalted butter. Lactic acid is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process and is commonly found in dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese.

The farmers who produce our butter share our passion for animal welfare. Those farmers’ cows spend their time grazing fresh pastures during the warm months, totalling to an average of 200 days a year. They’re able to express their natural behaviors, socialize with their herd, and have plenty of room to eat, drink, and lie down in a clean, dry space whenever they desire. They have plenty of water and food, which consists of 90% grass and 10% nutritionally balanced feed to promote good health and well-being. Finally, they are never given any growth hormones.

Though our general rule of thumb is six months in the fridge (a little longer if salted), our recommendation is to always enjoy our butter by the expiration date on the package and store it in the refrigerator. Check your butter packaging for an official date.

Dairy cows are normally milked twice a day (they can get uncomfortable otherwise). All of the farms that produce our butter use modern milking equipment and our dairy farmers use best practices and the highest standards to make milking time-efficient, enjoyable for the cows, and extremely clean to keep the cows healthy.

Our butter is not third-party certified by The Non-GMO Project. We rely on the farmers, most of whom are multi-generational dairy farmers, to know what is best for their land and herds.

The dairy cows that produce milk for Vital Farms butter eat a 90% grass diet. To ensure a well-rounded diet, farmers work with nutritionists for the remaining 10% to supply feed consisting of grain, vitamins and minerals to ensure a healthy and balanced blend of nutrients for the girls. We believe that a balanced diet for a dairy cow leads to premium high-butterfat milk and a healthy, happy cow!

Thanks for asking! Vital Farms Butter starts with cows who are pasture-raised on family farms during the warm months (that’s an average of 200 days a year!). Those four-legged ladies supply a rich cream to churn into something special. With 85% butterfat in our Unsalted Butter and 83% in our Salted Butter, we believe our rich and creamy butter can’t be beat.

Holsteins and Jerseys are the most common. These gorgeous girls transform grass, feed, and water into high-quality, high-butterfat milk, which we convert into cream that in turn, makes our high-quality butter.