Article by Mel Williams, courtesy of Farm Weekly
03.08.2025
Artisan butter producers Kylie Ward and Kris Perttula have turned their passion for cooking and sustainable food into something truly special.
They run a business that was recognised at the Perth Royal Dairy Awards and the Dairy Industry Association of Australia WA Awards as producing the best butter in Western Australia.
In late June, their herb and chilli butter, produced under The Butter People brand, was judged the champion butter at the 2025 Perth Royal Dairy Awards.
Based in Carlisle, the husband-and-wife team’s business philosophy is simple – to use only the freshest ingredients produced in WA.
That commitment to local excellence starts with sourcing cream from Mat and Sue Daubney’s renowned Bannister Downs Dairy at Northcliffe, which is now run in partnership with Gina Rinehart.
Ms Ward said Bannister Downs cream was exceptional.
“The milk travels directly from the dairy to an onsite processing facility through pipes,” Ms Ward said.
“It is pasteurised, homogenised and packaged within hours.
“You can’t get much fresher than that.”
The Daubneys employ a traditional pasteurisation method using lower temperatures that preserve the creamy, farm-fresh taste of their milk, while delivering optimal nutritional benefits.
Because milk proteins and enzymes are heat-sensitive, the bespoke Bannister Downs processing equipment ensures milk never exceeds 67 degrees Celsius which preserves all the natural goodness.
Ms Ward said after homogenisation, to evenly distribute cream content, and pasteurisation according to Australian Health Regulations, the result was pure excellence.
She said nothing was added to Bannister Downs’ fresh milk and cream products – no preservatives, stabilisers, thickeners, permeate, gelatine or other additives.
“It’s a production system that perfectly aligns with our quest at The Butter People to have ingredients that meet the highest standards of freshness and health,” Ms Ward said.
“We produce a completely all-natural butter, made from locally-sourced WA ingredients, gently crafted from the most gorgeous cream available from grassfed cows.
“We recognise there is a growing community that wants to know where its food comes from and that embraces natural ingredients, nourishment and clean living.”
Ms Ward’s journey into butter creation began when she decided at a young age to become vegetarian.
Her father’s response was that she had better learn how to cook.
Rising to that challenge, she taught herself everything – from basic techniques to advanced culinary skills – diving deep into cookbooks and undertaking other research.
Over many years, Ms Ward searched tirelessly for decent butter that met her exacting standards for cooking.
“Butter is such an impactful ingredient – it’s central to starting so many dishes – both sweet and savoury,” she said.
“Yet I couldn’t find the right product that ticked all my boxes.”
Ms Ward’s wish list was uncompromising.
She wanted butter with no added preservatives, fillers or nasties.
It had to be completely natural, made from the freshest possible ingredients, sourced from ethical and sustainable dairy farmers using cream from the happiest grass-fed cows – and ideally from WA.
This is everything the The Butter People business is today.
In 2012, before the business was even an idea, Ms Ward and Mr Perttula started making butter in their home kitchen purely for their own personal consumption.
It wasn’t until 2017 that the business was born, with the idea that they would produce a range of food products.
“But we kept coming back to butter because our customers wanted this,” Ms Ward said.
“There was no one else in WA producing artisan butter at that time, so we thought we’d fill a gap in the market.
“We wanted to concentrate on an all-natural, basic product.
“It was a bit left-of-field, but it really took off.”
The Butter People product was initially sold at farmers markets around Perth.
The business was located at a commercial kitchen in Midland from 2017 to meet food safety premise requirements.
Ms Ward and Mr Perttula quickly discovered they couldn’t keep up with surging demand and, after outgrowing the Midland premise, the couple moved to Carlisle in 2021.
Mr Perttula credits his wife’s approach of going back to basic principles.
“She experimented with cream from various sources, but the Bannister Downs cream proved the perfect match for our philosophy of fresh, natural, locally produced excellence,” Mr Perttula said.
When they first started out, Ms Ward would present many different types of butter which Mr Perttula was mostly underwhelmed with.
However Ms Ward persevered and perfected her butter-making skills over the next five years.
She said WA had some of the best dairy country in the world, and she was determined to harness this resource to produce truly artisan butter.
During this period of intensive experimentation, Ms Ward was also working for a building company.
With her degree in sustainability and a ‘green’ mindset, she brought environmental consciousness to every aspect of their venture.
Meanwhile, Mr Perttula’s 15 years in the hospitality sector had exposed him to butters from around the world.
“Bread and butter is a timeless entrée at restaurants and conferences, so I was constantly trying new butters,” he said.
Mr Perttula recognised that The Butter People butter was superior in taste, texture and provenance story.
Encouraged by the enthusiastic response from customers at farmers markets, the couple invested in cutting-edge technology and equipment – and now they processing multiple tonnes of butter annually.
“We’ve finally hit scale,” Mr Perttula said.
“It’s been a long, slow process getting this project off the ground during the past eight years.”
Ms Ward acknowledges their butter ranks among the most expensive dairy items, which is mainly due to using only premium cream that costs significantly more than milk.
“Butter has high input costs, especially when you insist on using only all-natural, premium products,” she said.
The process involves carefully agitating cream, separating buttermilk and globules, then washing the butter before adding salt and shaping.
Even the salt used is special, being sourced from Australia’s lowest carbon emission salt producer.
“This uniquely WA lake salt is both textural and delicious with beautiful flavours,” Ms Ward said.
“You get minerals from the natural lake salt that make the butter taste even better.”
Maintaining consistency in an artisan product presents ongoing challenges.
“You get seasonal variations in cream, and every batch needs adjustment,” Ms Ward said.
“We are working with cream that may not behave according to plan.
“Each batch must achieve shelf stability for eight weeks, while preserving that distinctive fresh taste.
“We’re genuinely trying to make each batch better than the last.”
The Butter People’s sustainability commitment extends to packaging.
Biodegradable and compostable brown paper is used and it breaks down within four to six weeks.
It is also free from waxes, adhesives and dyes.
The Butter People can still be found at Manning Road Farmers Market and select Perth retailers.
Ms Ward said plans were underway to expand their South West distribution through a partnership with Gingin Grass Fed, while their butter continues selling through specialty stores in Perth, Busselton, several butchers and artisan bakeries.
Premium restaurants, such as Ludo and The Station in South Perth, also feature their products on the menu.
Mr Perttula confirms they are actively expanding The Butter People business.
He said things were looking incredibly positive in WA’s food sector, and there were plenty of opportunities to grow sustainably.
From a simple quest for better butter to becoming award-winning artisan producers, The Butter People have proven that uncompromising standards and local excellence can create something truly special in WA’s thriving food scene.
