Better Butter from AGA Smör

“WITH ENOUGH BUTTER, anything is good,” Julia Child once famously declared. Anika Gusterman Amon, founder of Santa Fe’s AGA Smör, doesn’t just agree, she’s built a business on pushing that idea further. “I think a lot of compound butters are disappointing,” she says. “You don’t even taste the garlic.” Hers are built to do the opposite, creating a full-volume flavor party, from red chile to roasted mushroom. The idea came to her during a real estate appraisal class, as she thought about ways to spruce up her toddler’s food. Seven years later, the pandemic finally pushed the certified residential appraiser to act: “I felt like if I don’t try this, I’m going to regret it.” That conviction paid off when her mushroom butter won gold in the Dairy and Eggs category of the 2026 sofi Awards—the †scars of specialty foods. AGA Smör—combining Gusterman Amon’s initials with smör, the Swedish word for butter, a nod to her mother’s Swedish roots—now offers 14 flavored butters. Gusterman Amon sources the butter from Amish dairy farmers in Iowa, then adds the spices, herbs, and produce to create each variety. Try the roasted mushroom on pasta or steak, where its umami punch has room to shine. Add a pat of red or green chile butter to scrambled eggs just before they’re done cooking, or spice up morning joe with a dollop of the cardamom butter. “Sounds weird, but it’s so good,” she laughs.