Start-up De Fryske cheese raises money quickly

Cheesemaker De Fryske has raised more than €2 within 150.000 weeks with a crowdfunding campaign. The start-up wants to invest money in building up its own cheese stock, so that sales can be further increased. Owner Catharinus Wierda hopes to eventually have access to €250.000.

De Fryske needs at least €300.000 to build up a cheese stock based on current sales. The original plan was to raise half of this amount through crowdfunding and to finance the other half by the bank and investors. Due to the success of the crowdfunding campaign De Fryske now aims to raise €250.000 via the public.

Wierda says she is pleasantly surprised by the result. "We did not expect to reach the first target amount in 2 weeks." It makes it easier for his company to attract external capital from banks or investors. Through crowdfunding, De Fryske offers a loan for a period of 6 years, which is repaid in the fifth and sixth year. Participants can deposit an amount of €500 to €15.000. For this they receive an annual interest of 2%. However, De Fryske pays out another 2% in the form of cheese. Via a cheese voucher, participants can buy cheese from De Fryske in their webshop, for example.  

Comply with conditions
De Fryske cheese has been around for 3 years and now has 4 cheeses in its range, from young to old. The cheese is made at CZ Rouveen. Founder Wierda works together with 5 Frisian dairy farms, which have been selected together with FrieslandCampina, which must meet the conditions his company stands for. In short, this is nature-inclusive farming, with room for meadow birds and biodiversity. For example, livestock farmers have to keep 20% of their land extensively for a long breeding season. 

With sustainable dairy farming, Wierda indicates that it wants to contribute to the preservation of the Frisian nature. Boerenbusiness visited early this year the dairy farm of the Ypma . family, which supplies milk to De Fryske.

Eric the Thrush

Eric is a member of the editorial staff of Boerenbusiness. As a descendant of an arable family, farmer's blood flows through Eric's veins. He considers himself a generalist, but with a preference for economics, trends, markets and marketing.

e.delijster@boerenbusiness. Nl

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