News Duinzuivel Cooperative
New cooperative comes with local 'Duingoed' cheese
Yesterday (18 November) the Duinzuivel cooperative was established at the initiative of a group of dairy farmers from the area around the Loonse en Drunense Duinen. Brabantse Duingoed cheese is made with the affiliated dairy farmers. The artisanal cheese is sold locally.
The cooperative now has 15 member dairy farmers, with Mari van Drunen as chairman. Van Drunen was there when 6 dairy farmers put their heads together 2 years ago to look for a new revenue model. Keeping in mind the growing trend that consumers want insight into the origin of their food, the choice was made to make cheese.
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Van Drunen says that the cooperative will first continue to work on cheese production with the current dairy farmers. The milk from the affiliated companies is processed into Duingoed cheese by cheesemaker Hollandsche Meesters from Rhenen. The milk from affiliated members that is not processed into cheese goes to FrieslandCampina.
The member dairy farmers therefore receive the FrieslandCampina price for their milk. "The profit that the cooperative ultimately makes is not only to be paid out to the members," Van Drunen says. "Part of it is used to preserve or improve nature in the Loonse and Drunense dunes, and we also want to keep local residents happy."
To taste is to buy
With the help of cheese maker Hollandsche Meesters, the first cheeses were taken off the shelf at the end of August this year and sold under the 'Brabants Duingoed' label. The cooperative has now sold 600 kilos of cheese without large-scale marketing campaigns. "A message on social media was enough," says Van Drunen. According to the dairy farmer, customers wanted to buy the cheese immediately after tasting, that's all that was needed.
The cooperative is scaling up production. Consumers who would like to taste (and buy) a piece of this cheese will have to be patient. The next stock of cheeses will not be ready for sale until January next year. "We could not have imagined in advance that it would run so well and quickly," says Van Drunen. "We are therefore unable to deliver at the moment, but as soon as it is possible again we will also use more marketing through various channels. And as soon as it is possible we would also like to produce and sell yogurt and quark under our label."
Jorine Cosse
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