The Country Where Kerrygold Irish Butter Was First Sold Wasn't Ireland

Kerrygold Irish butter, with its iconic green and gold packaging and lush flavor and texture, is undoubtedly Ireland's supreme food export (sorry, potatoes). However, in a stunning twist, it turns out the professional baker-approved butter brand wasn't originally sold in Ireland. Before you melt down, don't worry — this isn't a disappointing dairy deception like grocery store Greek yogurt, which isn't as Greek as we thought. The company behind Kerrygold Irish butter, Ornua, is headquartered in Ireland, and the golden-toned butter is churned with milk from grass-fed Irish dairy cows.

Despite its clearly established Irishness, Kerrygold Irish butter first hit markets not in the Emerald Isle, but in the United Kingdom, in 1962. This is surprising, but not totally shocking — the U.K. is Ireland's next-door neighbor, after all. What's truly mind-blowing, however, is that Kerrygold expanded to bring high-butterfat Irish flavor as far as the Middle East, Asia, and the Caribbean before finally releasing its Irish butter in Ireland in 1973, 11 years after the creamy product launched in the U.K. American butter lovers had to wait even longer to enjoy the indulgent Irish spread, as Kerrygold Irish butter didn't hit shelves stateside until 1991.

The company behind Kerrygold Irish butter was originally known as the Irish Dairy Board (An Bord Bainne in Irish), and it was created by the Irish government in 1961 to promote Irish dairy products on the export market. As such, it actually makes a whole lot of sense that Kerrygold butter was first launched in the United Kingdom and took over a decade to hit shelves in its homeland. The goal was to spread the love (and demand) for Irish butter around the world, beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle, and it's safe to say the operation was a success. 

These days, the rich mouthfeel and signature yellow hue make Kerrygold the gold standard for butter lovers across the globe, and the brand surpassed a whopping $1 billion in sales worldwide. Kerrygold has also earned a spot as one of America's top butter brands, second only to Land O' Lakes, which is hardly small potatoes considering that the United States as a whole is one of the world's biggest butter consumers. Of course, this success is well-deserved, because Kerrygold butter is absolutely as great as we thought. If you're looking to enjoy the rich taste of Kerrygold butter with a slightly less luxurious price tag, try Aldi's Irish butter, which is a total Kerrygold copycat.