Northbrook Butter Company Spreading into the Market

Portobello mushroom with Boursin? Cilantro and lime?

Sound like additions to salads and appetizers? Well in fact they're butters.

Twisted Foods, a Northbrook-based company has created six different butter spreads that are now in dairy cases throughout the North Shore. Included in the mix are:

• Bacon, dijon mustard and green onion;
• Blueberry, honey and lemon zest;
• Cinnamon, honey and brown sugar;
• Chive and parsley;
• Cilantro and lime;
• Portobello mushroom with Boursin-garlic and herb cheese.

Local stores selling the spreads include , and is expected to begin stocking the items soon.

"This is exciting," said David Milazzo, co-owner and partner of Twisted Foods, whose company has been in operation for two years.. "This has really taken off for us."

Keep up to date on the latest Northbrook business news by signing up for our free newsletter.

Other groceries selling the product are Sunset Foods in Lake Forest, Long Grove, and Libertyville; Treasure Island in Wilmette; Lakeside Foods in Winnetka and Grand Food Center in Glencoe. Jewel-Osco may begin carrying the product this summer, Milazzo said.

Milazzo explained that he and his partner, Jane Johnson, focused on butter because there are not a lot of competing products like this in the dairy case. There certainly is room in the mainstream dairy case, he said.

He said he and Johnson began looking at all of the different ways that butter can be used: at breakfast, on vegetables and and meat, chicken and fish. A lot of trial and error went into creating them, especially those that are herb-based, to balance the butter and the herbs, he said.

Five of the products are all-natural, except for the bacon, Dijon mustard and green onion.

What's next? A chipotle based butter, but Milazzo's not spreading anything more about it.

Besides the website, check out the product on Facebook.