You butter believe it: Morrisons marks 125th birthday

On its 125th anniversary, Morrisons is introducing a limited-edition, heritage butter packaging design – which was one of its first ever products.

The packaging features a Union Jack, gold wrapper and blue and red accents, commemorating Morrisons ‘long-standing support’ for British food producers.

“The special heritage butter reflects our commitment to quality food making and tradition, bringing a touch of nostalgia to our shelves. We hope our customers enjoy this unique piece of history as much as we enjoyed creating it,” commented Gail Paddy, own brand director at Morrisons.

The design will don its own brand salted and unsalted butters, which will be available (while stocks last) for the next four weeks.

Offering historical context, Professor Rachel Bowlby, FBA, author of Back to the Shops, The High Street in History and the Future, said: “Butter has always occupied a unique place as an everyday luxury food. Morrisons first customers of 1899 would have had their butter carefully weighed out by the pound or half pound across the counter. Without home refrigerators, it would have been kept in the larder before being brought out for tea. Butter was a special treat then and it still is now: perfect to celebrate this 125th anniversary.”​

Today, Morrisons boasts 497 supermarkets and operates more than 1,600 convenience stores nationwide. The supermarket employs more than 100,000 people, including 6,500+ trained butchers, bakers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, florists and other skilled store specialists.

Alongside its limited-edited decorated butter packs, the supermarket is also rolling out several other initiatives, including a special ‘Basket Bonus’ for More Card holders, alongside a £1m charitable fund to enhance community spaces across the UK.

Meanwhile, Aldi has promised to remove plastic packaging from its banana range in an England trial.​​