Veldhuyzen Kaas, established in 1884, has grown from a local trader to a global exporter of a complete and unique assortment of Dutch cheese specialties.

Today we export to more than 60 countries, bringing our premium cheeses into the homes of millions of consumers.

We are known for our innovations, consistent high quality, flexible approach and high service level.

The History

THE START

Authenticity, tradition and craftsmanship – the ‘new’ values of today – have been at the heart of Veldhuyzen Cheese for over a century. As a small family business, Veldhuyzen has been trading cheeses produced by farmers in its region since the 1880s.

Mr Cornelius Veldhuyzen, our founder, could have stayed content with sailing his two barges around Holland, transporting all sorts of goods from A to B. But then local farmers started asking him to ship their cheese to Amsterdam and sell it to traders at a good price. Around 1875, big cheese factories or markets did not exist, which made it difficult for individual farmers to sell their goods.

1884: THE FIRST WAREHOUSE

Cornelius got them their good prices, and his trading business flourished. He became known as a reliable businessman. A fast learner, Cornelius soon discovered that cheese was cheap in summer and expensive in winter. An excellent reason to build his first warehouse in 1884, after which he started buying cheese in summer and selling it in winter. Cornelius was very successful and he eventually sold his boats to focus solely on cheese.

1905: EXPANSION

Around this time, cheese markets were springing up around Gouda. Farmers in the area had started to switch from crop to dairy farming and the new markets meant they could sell their cheese on a weekly basis. The cheese trade became a booming business and Cornelius Veldhuyzen built a bigger warehouse.

1925: CORNELIUS STEPS DOWN

Around 1925, Cornelius steps down so his sons Dirk, Maarten and Johannes could take over the company with fresh energy. The brothers managed to survive the dire crisis years in the thirties as well as the meagre years of the Second World War, when milk and cheese were a rare and expensive treat.

1948: A NEW START

It wasn’t until 1948 that cheese became widely available again – albeit rationed. It meant a new start for Veldhuyzen Cheese as well as the next generation of Veldhuyzen brothers. Cor, Dick Sr and Koos slowly turned the business into a professional cheese trading company that also sold cheese from dairy factories, which had started to replace farm made cheese. In 1982, Dick Jr became CEO.

1982: THE NEW CEO

Now, Dick Veldhuyzen Jr is not your regular cheese trader. With a keen interest in the product he sells and an imaginative mind, he is always looking for ideas that will boost the business and satisfy his creativity. He is a member of food innovation network Food Valley Society and one of his first innovations was Hommage, a hard cheese made from goat’s milk that farmers could not sell to Greece.

2005: THE PESTO VERDE REVOLUTION

In 2005, Dick created a true cheese revolution with his famous Basiron Pesto Verde. Pesto cheese was in demand, but Dick could not bear to just add a jar of herbs to the cheese. He found a way to process fresh basil and this resulted in a savoury explosion of taste and a cheese that was err…green. A green cheese? Yes, a green cheese – and it’s gorgeous.

2005-2015: NEW FLAVOURS

Every year, new flavours are added to the Basiron brand and Dick is at the heart of every development, together with the sophisticated innovation labs of main producer CZ Rouveen.

2015: WESTLAND & OLD AMSTERDAM

In 2015, Veldhuyzen started collaborating with 80-year old family business Westland Kaas. Veldhuyzen Cheese is now the exclusive distributor of their number one brand Old Amsterdam in selected markets around the world.

2016: ADDITIONAL COLD STORAGE

Veldhuyzen Cheese now exports cheese to an incredible number worlwide. Every day truckloads of cheese are transported to Rotterdam port and Schiphol Airport. There it finds its way to customers in China, Brazil, USA, Ukrain, Egypt, New Zealand and many other countries!
To accommodate the soaring trade, a new cold storage was built in 2016, which can hold an additional 200,000kg of cheese.

2016: AWARDS

The quality of Veldhuyzen’s cheese has been recognized by professionals. At the 2016 International Cheese Awards, Veldhuyzen Cheese won no less than six awards. The competition at the annual Nantwich show in the UK is one of the largest in the world. Our award winners: Montana Intenso, Veldhuyzen Blue Label, Basiron Alpine, Hommage Bleu, Bleu de Graven and Mouton.