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