Who Actually Makes Walmart's Great Value Butter?

We've taken deep dives into the big names hiding behind Walmart Great Value products, because curious shoppers want to know. We've determined where Walmart's house frozen chicken comes from (Tyson), and the company behind its ice cream (Wells Enterprises). But what about the butter? While it's a kitchen staple (and choosing the right butter matters, according to Martha Stewart), the origins of Walmart's Great Value butter are tougher to nail down. However, after a thorough investigation, there is one corporate giants we suspect might be linked: Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Evidence linking Great Value butter to Land O'Lakes pops up frequently across social media. TikTok user @rachaelishere shared a video of herself opening a Land O'Lakes butter box and pulling out Great Value butter sticks. The box was apparently sealed (the breaking of the adhesive can be heard in the video). Over on Facebook, a user named Susan Penna posted a photo to the group "Cake Recipes 101" featuring a Land O'Lakes box with Great Value butter sticks in front of it. The text reads, "Imagine my surprise when I opened the Land O'Lakes butter box and found the Walmart brand butter inside!" Commenters pointed out that the color of the Land O'Lakes and Great Value butter sticks appeared to be different when placed side by side, at least while in their respective wrappers.

After the TikTok video from @rachaelishere became widely shared, commenters chimed in with speculation. One user commented, "I'm sure Land O'Lakes makes Great Value butter and they mixed up the wrappers on the line." Another commenter said that their father was a trucker who delivered to Walmart and he'd confirmed that the two companies are linked. Other users were not as easily convinced, with some pointing out that the video only showed the box being unsealed from one end. Others declared to be believers, vowing in the comments to go for the cheaper butter option the next time they hit the store.

While evidence gleaned from conversations in social threads isn't concrete, we believe it's worth exploring. We've previously ranked the 16 most popular butter brands from worst to best. Great Value butter didn't make the list, however; Land O'Lakes butter appeared. So it stands to reason that if there's a chance the more popular Land O'Lakes is produced and packaged by the same company churning out Great Value, there'd be some potential cost savings left on the table for Land O'Lakes fans. Perhaps the question warrants trying both and completing a side-by-side taste test in our own kitchens.