2_4_DiscoverBenelux_13_Januar_2014_MADS_Scan Magazine 1 17/12/2014 15:21 Page 19
Discover Benelux | Feature | Henri Willig
tasting session. Held every day in the afternoon for groups between two and 30 people, you are invited to taste several cheeses accompanied by a special selection of wine or beer. Wiebe adds, “People can learn much more about our cheeses and we teach them about flavours and pairing the cheeses with the drinks.”
will stay in our range for years to come if they prove popular,” Wiebe explains. When asked about his personal favourite, Wiebe doesn’t have to think twice: “That is easy, our mature goat’s cheese. We’ve won many prizes with this.”
Cheese and much more While cheese has been one of the Netherlands’ biggest export products for years, in the centre of Amsterdam was not a single shop selling cheese until recently. In 1995 this all changes when Henri Willig opened their first small-scale shop. This later developed into a separate chain of trendy, high-end cheese boutiques Cheese & More by Henri Willig. “Every flavour of Henri Willig cheese is available here, as well as all types of cheese utensils and related prod-
ucts such as wine, savoury snacks and mustard, but also Dutch speciality products such as liquorice, nougat and syrup waffles,” says Wiebe. The practical size of their miniature cheeses are especially popular among tourists as a souvenir or gift. To be sure you buy a flavour you like, at Cheese & More by Henri Willig every single cheese can be tasted first. Wiebe explains, “If there isn’t already a sample ready in the shop, the members of staff are always happy to give you a taster of your cheese of choice.”
The full experience If the sight of cheese leaves you wanting to know more, then you can join a daily workshop at the Proefzolder for an informative
The Proefzolder is located at one of the Cheese & More by Henri Willig shops in Amsterdam and opened last April. Currently the sessions start at 4pm daily but in the future Wiebe would like to run more. “If the sessions continue to be as popular as they are now, we would like to do the workshop twice a day,” Wiebe confides. “For the next year, we are also making plans to try to bring farm and customer closer together. We want people to become part of the cheese making experience, so buying a cheese at one of our shops becomes much more than just walking in and out of a shop.” henriwillig.com cheeseandmore.com
Issue 13 | January 2015 | 19