Irish Butter Now Legally Sold in Wisconsin

WAUWATOSA, WI — Wisconsin residents want Irish butter - and one company has found a legal workaround that will allow them to stock it on store shelves legally for the first time.

According to media reports, Woodmans Markets will be selling a branded Irish butter in their Wisconsin stores starting Apr. 21.

“We’re excited to once again be able to get our product on the shelves in the Badger State,” said Steve Knaus, managing partner of Old World Creamery in the We Are Green Bay report. “Irish butter has a higher butterfat content than the average American butter, which translates into a richer, creamier texture for the butter.”

Strict Butter Laws

A Wisconsin law requires that butter be graded for quality through a state regulation - effectively keeping delicious Irish butter out of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the only state with such tight regulations on butter grading, sales and distribution.

Anybody convicted of selling unlabeled or ungraded butter is subject to a fine between $100 and $1,000 and six months in jail.

As it goes, however, Wisconsinites would cross state lines to bring Irish butter back to the badger state to enjoy - or share with others.

According to a media report, the legal workaround goes like this: Old World Creamery of Sheboygan will import Irishgold butter from Ireland, process and package it — then have the company’s five state-licensed butter graders rate it.

image via pixabay public domain images