History

About 6,000 years ago, nomads accidentally discovered that cheese was produced when milk was stored in calf’s bladders for an extended period of time.

Since then, the cheese making process has evolved.

Evidence has been found in the Netherlands that cheese has been produced since 800 BC.

In fact, earthenware pots with holes in them where the cheese leaked out and could have dried have been found from this period. Julius Caesar also noticed that there was little arable land in these places and that cheese, milk and meat were plentiful. He recorded this in his journal in 57 BC

Because of the wet soil, over the centuries the provinces of Friesland, North and South Holland were the most suitable for raising dairy cows.

In the Middle Ages, the Dutch already exported cheese abroad, for example from the still famous Waag in Alkmaar.

From the Golden Age onwards, the Netherlands was already known as a real country of cheese.