How Butter is Made

How butter is made

Butter was used as a beauty cream in Roman times, and as a treatment for burns. It has references as far back as the Old Testament.

Traditionally butter was made by shaking milk in animal skins, or hollow logs. Today the process is not as simple. 

33000l of milk arrives in each milk truck. When it arrives it is tested to ensure the milk is of a consistent colour and odour. Once it has passed the test it is moved into a tank called a separator using a vacuum pump. In the separator the milk is spun, which separates it into 2 layers; the fat called butter cream moves to the top, and the rest of the liquid (skimmed milk) remains on the bottom. 

The butter cream is 38% fat, is an off-White colour and is viscous (thick/sticky) in consistency. 

Some of this butter cream is added back to the skimmed milk to make semi skimmed or 2% fat milk. As the fat concentration of the milk increases the viscosity also increases. 

The butter cream is then moved into a bulk tank, where it is mixed to ensure homogenous consistency, pasteurised and aged for around 24hrs. 1500l of cream are pumped into a churner, which is 1/2 full and churned. 

The churning process makes the fat molecules bunch together, and water and air is released. A worker uses a valve to release the excess air every 5 minutes. After 30 mins in the churner the butter cream has turned into butter popcorn, and a liquid called butter milk, which is filtered off and is sometimes used to make other dairy products, e.g. Ice cream.Salt is added to the mixture, and after another30 mins inside the churner the butter popcorn has turned yellow, due to the presence of natural vitamin C. 

The butter is then scooped into a milling machine, then shaped and put into sunlight proof packages, to prevent the butter spoiling too soon. 

The butter is then taken to distributors in a refrigerated van.