The price of butter has been on the rise over the last two years. In Australia, the price of butter has gone up in all major supermarket chains like Woolworths, Coles and Aldi.
In France, it went from EU2500 (AU$3763) per tonne in March 2016, to almost EU7000 in recent months (AU$10 536). And since the weekend, we’re even seeing butter shortages in French supermarkets.
Buttery gold
Once shunned by dietitians, butter is now back in fashion again all over the world. People use it more to cook at home, and bakeries like Lune Croissanterie and Gontran Cherrier, in Melbourne, import their butter all the way from France.
The revival of butter internationally is partly responsible for the shortage, but there's more.
Shortage of milk
Another reason for the increase in price is that New Zealand, the biggest milk exporter in the world, is producing less milk than usual. It’s also the case in Europe, where milk production is on the decline.
Consumers are also getting interested again in full-cream milk, meaning that there are less fat available for butter makers.
Who is affected?
French supermarkets had to put posters up over the weekend, explaining why there was no butter, saying that the shortage is like anything they've seen before.
But it seems that the shortages are only temporary, mainly caused by people fearing the prices will go even higher and buying much more butter than usual.
The Federation of French Bakers still says they're facing 'a major crisis'.
In a press release, they explain that butter is a crucial ingredient for pastries and that consumers might have to pay more: “If the cost of butter keeps rising, we'll have to also raise the price of products sold to consumers."
Should you be ready to fork out more for that croissant?
Pierre Issa of Australia's leading cultured butter producer Pepe Saya took to Facebook to comment on reports of a crisis and denied that it would impact upon the boutique brand.
He wrote "At Pepe Saya, we have vowed to look after our customer first, and not play into the hands of the faceless dairy industries men and women that manipulate the world’s butter crisis (commodity prices)."
Australia's bakers meanwhile seem less sure. All the Australian bakers and pastry chefs SBS French spoke to advised croissant-lovers here could also be affected.
Kate Reid of Lune Croissanterie's said "As yet, we have not experienced price increases - we have fantastic suppliers who have offered excellent support and frozen the prices for us, but as the shortage continues to affect supply, I have no doubt we will be affected."
She explains, "We use butter imported from France, and rely on this for the quality of our finished product, but that already puts us at the highest end of the market, price-wise."
"As we do not want to compromise the quality of our product, we do not intend on changing to another brand for cost purposes."
"No one knows yet what the actual increase will be, but if it's a dramatic rise, I think it’s safe to say that it will push the price of baked goods up."
Björn Nöldner, the Australia General Manager of artisanal bakery chain Gontran Cherrier says "the recent fall in Europe’s milk supply and the subsequent rising cost of French butter is having an impact on the cost base of Gontran Cherrier in Australia."
"Our viennoiserie range which includes croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche and other pastries is particularly affected.
"As a result, we’re currently reviewing retail prices with some products likely to increase in the coming weeks."
Head pastry chef at the RACV club, chef Pierrick Boyer: "Sadly, all the little people like us, we’re suffering because we haven’t been able to mark up our products, otherwise it would be too expensive. But we can only do that for so long."
