Lurpak

Why it is renowned

Lurpak is sold in more than 75 countries, and the United Kingdom is its largest market.¹²³ It entered the British market in the early 1900s; from 1985 its television advertising there featured Douglas, a trombonist made of butter animated by Aardman.³¹ In 2012 the American magazine Fast Company wrote about the food films Wieden + Kennedy London had made for the Danish butter since 2006, with the actor Rutger Hauer as the voice of the brand in Britain.⁴ The mark helped make Denmark one of the world's leading butter exporters.³

The story

In October 1901 a group of Danish co-operative dairies registered a shared mark for their butter.¹ The name comes from the lur, a Bronze Age horn, and two crossed lurs are still in the logo.³ A law of 1906 made the Lur mark the official sign of exported Danish butter, and from 1911 only dairies that took part in statutory butter tastings could use it.³ In the 1950s the wooden casks gave way to paper and then foil, and the churn to continuous butter-making machines.³ Lurpak is owned by Arla Foods and made in Denmark from Danish milk.³

What to know it by

• Lurpak butter block³1901Butter in silver foil with the lur mark
• Lurpak Spreadable³1997Butter spreadable straight from the fridge, launched in the UK
• Lurpak Unsalted¹Unsalted butter