Buttered Up by a Corpus Christi Connection
Published Mar 21, 2007
Falfurrias Butter has been around since 1909 and is now produced by Pennsylvania-based Keller’s Creamery.
Falfurrias. Just say the name, and true-blooded Texans can taste the rich, creamy butter that bears the name of Brooks County’s county seat.
Founded nearly a century ago, the Falfurrias Butter brand lives on today.
“It’s certainly a brand and product that’s rich in heritage in Texas and with a name associated with quality,” says Brenda Doke, who handles marketing for Falfurrias Butter, now owned by Pennsylvania-based Keller’s Creamery.
The story of Falfurrias Butter actually dates back to 1895, when Edward C. Lasater started a cattle ranch southwest of Corpus Christi. His spread was dubbed Falfurrias Ranch, after La Mota de Falfurrias, the grove of trees where he built his headquarters. The La Mota Ranch, as it is now called, is still in Falfurrias, the town Lasater founded.
In 1909, Lasater imported purebred Jersey cattle to his ranch, and the Falfurrias Creamery was born. At one point, Lasater was said to own the largest Jersey herd in the world, just at the time when butter, cream and cheese became hot sellers. The creamery flourished for decades.
Today, Falfurrias Butter is produced in Winnsboro, near Dallas, yet remains the same tasty butter, either salted or unsalted that aficionados – and noted chefs – love.
According to Doke, Keller’s Creamery is owned by the Dairy Farmers of America, “so we only want to put our name on the highest quality of products.”
Meanwhile, Falfurrias is the growing retail hub of a several-county area and is noted for cattle breeding and meat production and as a producer of cotton, peanuts, vegetables and melons.
Falfurrias’ Heritage Museum, located on the famous Chisholm Trail, celebrates the community’s rich history, from its agricultural roots to its days as a Texas Rangers headquarters. One exhibit explores the Lasater legacy, while another examines the town’s unusual name. “Falfurrias” in Spanish means “Heart’s Delight,” the name of a local wildflower.
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
Current Weather Conditions In Corpus Christi, TX (78403)
Fair, and 73 ° F. For more details?
Click here...
