2_4_DiscoverBenelux_13_Januar_2014_MADS_Scan Magazine 1 17/12/2014 15:21 Page 18

Discover the flavoursome world of cheese It all started when Henri Willig inherited his family’s dairy farm. A farmer’s life wasn’t quite enough for him, so he decided to do a course in cheese making. Together with his wife, Riet, he built a cheese dairy next to the farm and in 1974 they opened their own little cheese shop, selling a new brand of cheese labelled ‘Henri Willig’. TEXT: MYRIAM GWYNNED DIJCK  |  PHOTOS: HENRI WILLIG

Now Henri Willig’s tasty cheeses are more popular than ever – they are currently sold in  twenty  shops  in  and  around  Amsterdam,  including  a  chain  of  trendy  outlets called Cheese & More by Henri Willig, and they also supply to wholesale customers. “Even though we’ve grown a lot throughout the years, we still stay true to our philosophy  of  being  a  personal  and  honest brand.  We  keep  our  production  cycle short;  our  cheeses  go  straight  from  the countryside to the client,” says son Wiebe Willig, the general manager. Last year, the company celebrated its 40th birthday and currently employs 350 staff.

18 |  Issue 13 |  January 2015

With Wiebe as the second generation taking over the business, the Henri Willig is still very much family-owned. “We make everything ourselves in our two cheese dairies. We own every milk truck that collects the milk, so we can ensure the quality of our cheeses,”  Wiebe  says.  “We  go  right against today’s trend of companies getting bigger and less personal and we see that this is something that appeals to people.” 

are sold either made from goat’s, cow’s or sheep’s milk, and the selection is updated every year. “Some of our new flavours include  coconut  cheese,  a  goat’s  cheese with  lavender,  and  champagne  flavoured cheese,” says Wiebe. Many of these varieties are exclusively available at their Henri Willig shops. The two most popular ones are  the  tried  and  tested  Gouda  cheese and the more adventurous truffle cheese.

Miniature cheese, maximal flavour

In fact, Wiebe and his team of cheese experts  come  together  every  month  to  develop new, unique flavours. “Every year we create at least six new flavours. Some of these  will  replace  other  cheeses,  others

Known for their ‘Polderkaas’, ‘Hooidam mer’ and characteristic miniature cheeses, Henri Willig is not a company to sit still. At the moment,  30  different  types  and  flavours