ButterHands

with refrigerated butter because it’s so hard; cutting the butter into the tablespoon packaging measurements makes it impossible to reseal the butter in the original packaging; and once the butter is removed from the original packaging, it’s difficult to measure the butter.

With the design of our Straus Family ButterHands, we divided the butter into squares, each equaling a single tablespoon, which easily separate from the whole of the bar in order to make measuring simpler. With the butter in it’s own square, it can heat to room temperature more quickly and melt completely at a lower temperature.
Removing the butter from the original packaging is simple and easy with the use of our ButterHands paddles that help slide each bar out of the package. As simply as the butter is removed, it can be put back into the bag and resealed to keep air and odors out.

Every aspect of the bag is compost-able. We used soy based inks, chlorine and quilon free packaging, along with wax for adhesive and biodegradable twist ties. The paddles are made of wood and use the same soy based inks so they may be added to a compost pile or kept as a nice keepsake.

Aesthetically, we based our design largely on the ideas of traditional butter making. The name ButterHands, and the trays on which the butter is packaged, are a reference to the butter paddles that are an essential part of butter production. And, the wax-coated parchment paper bag is meant to evoke the way that butter was once packaged for sale by artisan producers. We felt that basing our design on this history was appropriate as means of establishing a sense of trustworthiness, a respect for tradition, and a dedication to quality with consumers. Also, by employing hand-based production techniques, namely linocuts and screen printing, for the graphics, we hoped to speak to the craft and care that the Straus Family Creamery puts into each of its products.

We believe that in developing solutions for the major inconveniences created by conventional butter packaging, and hearkening back to the spirit and dedication of traditional butter making, We have designed a packaging solution that is as emotive as it is practical.