CEO Mark Peters Flavors the Nation with Purpose

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the saying goes, “butter is better,” and Butterball^® Farms has been proving it for 70 years. Working with some of America’s largest foodservice and restaurant brands, the company is best known for everything from shaped Premium Balls^® and Butter Roses on cruise ships to chef-ready garlic herb dollops that finish a steak in 10 seconds. Over seven decades, Butterball^® Farms has built a reputation for turning butter into both an experience and a signature flavor solution.

Butterball^® Farms, a second-generation family-owned specialty butter and flavor innovation company, will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026. Founded in Grand Rapids by entrepreneur and inventor Leo Peters in 1956, the company still manufactures on Buchanan Avenue, where its story began.

Built on Butter Innovation
Butterball^® Farms was born from innovation. After selling the Butterball^® trademark to Swift & Company, Peters retained use of the name for a new venture, pioneering the first embossed butters produced at scale. The iconic invention quickly gained traction with hotel and restaurant chains, including McDonald’s, one of the company’s first customers. Beyond butter, the company produces blends, cream cheese, and custom flavor formats that simplify back-of-house execution.

“Innovation has always been at the heart of Butterball^® Farms, and Grand Rapids has been our home for 70 years,” said CEO Mark Peters. “From pioneering shaped butter at scale to creating new flavor-forward solutions today, we’ve continued to evolve while staying rooted in the community where we started.” Beginning as a factory worker at 12, son Mark Peters saw frontline challenges firsthand. At 30, he assumed leadership with a clear goal: run a thriving business that also enriched the lives of its workers.

Enriching Lives Through People-First Practices
Under Mark Peters’ leadership, Butterball^® Farms operates with a mission to “Enrich Lives.” The company believes that great flavor has the power to enrich every meal, and that business should enrich the customers, communities, and team members it serves. More than 33% of the company’s 160+ employees are second-chance employees, reflecting its commitment to creating opportunity through meaningful employment.

Recognizing barriers beyond the workplace, Peters co-founded Grand Rapids-based The SOURCE, connecting hundreds of employees to resources for transportation, housing stability, financial education, and skill-building. This is his core passion, and he is committed to making employee wellbeing and community impact central to his ongoing work. These efforts have earned Butterball^® Farms recognition as one of the 2026 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For^® in the Nation and West Michigan for more than a decade. What started in Grand Rapids, now reaches nearly 10 states. Peters is expanding the mission: helping frontline workers not just stay employed, but move up at their company or with partners.

“Seventy years in Grand Rapids is more than a milestone,” Peters added. “It’s who we are. We’re proud of where we started and excited to keep innovating in premium butter and custom flavor while staying rooted in our mission.” Butterball^® Farms enters its next chapter with a continued commitment to flavor innovation, customer partnership, and community impact.

Author
His books include The SOURCE, charting his journey from the factory floor to a mission-driven “Enrich Lives” model, and his second book is titled, The Retention Trap, which advocates for a people-centered approach to building engaged, stable teams through investment rather than retention-focused strategies.

Butterball^® Farms is located at 1435 Buchanan Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49507. Phone 616-243-0105 or visit ButterballFarms.com

MEDIA CONTACTS: MORT MEISNER ASSOCIATES;
Mort Meisner O: 248-545-2222 / C: 248-613-0948 or Kristin Schenden 248-895-5638.

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SOURCE ButterBall Farms