Minnesota’s Land O Lakes Introduces New Product: Butter Balls

While the concept isn't entirely new, the marketing and packaging is.  Arden Hills, Minnesota-based Land O Lakes has a new product coming to the dairy case in the grocery store near you:  Butter Balls.

The ready to use, half-tablespoon butter balls are sold in a re-sealable pouch and the company promises that it will change the way customers cook and use their product.

A large part of the marketing behind the (not entirely) new product is the pandemic and the general uptick in cooking at home.  Whether these "lock down" cooks were old pros in the kitchen or were picking up a spatula and turning on a stove for the first time, research shows that the trend isn't going away any time soon.

Collateral information released as part of the product debut from Land O Lakes tells the story:

"Throughout the pandemic, the Land O Lake's innovation team worked to create solutions in the kitchen for the millions of Americans who were cooking at home more frequently.  Recognizing that almost 75 percent of U.S. consumers want to continue preparing meals after the pandemic, the team wanted to make at-home meals easier, even as life starts to return to normal."

The ready-to-use, pre-measured butter balls are one way that Land O Lakes came up with.  Vice President of the Minnesota-based company - Heather Anfang - continues:

"Innovation is core to Land O Lakes and we see this product as the answer to the convenience consumers crave while staying true to the great products they rely on - sweet cream butter.  While the pandemic created unprecedented challenges across all industries, our commitment to innovation never wavered - and instead we chose to lean in and are excited to bring this unique product to consumers this summer."

Innovation?  Well, perhaps for the marketing nature of the product.  While it's true these Butter Balls being sold by Land O Lakes is something that the average customer hasn't seen before at the grocery store, anyone who has ever been to a banquet dinner, reception, or fancy restaurant is familiar with what they are.

Curious?  Want to try Land O Lakes new Butter Balls for yourself? The company has provided a "product finder" on their website.

Careful readers will remember that the company made a major change to their product imaging and mascot about a year ago.  As they celebrated their 100-year anniversary, they removed the Native American mascot that had been featured on the front of their products since the company started.