Frequently Asked Questions

• Beemster cheese is available in supermarkets, cheese specialty stores and at the market.
• Next to our cheese factory is a Beemster cheese store where the entire range is available.
• There are also a number of farm stores selling Beemster cheese. An overview of all farm stores is here to find.
• Finally, you can also visit our online cheese shop for your weekly cheese order or a festive gift package.

More and more farmers are running their own store on their property. Here the farmers, members of the CONO Kaasmakers cooperative, sell various varieties of Beemster cheese and a variety of other products. Click here for an overview of the farm stores.

Beemster cheese is made by CONO Kaasmakers. This farmer cooperative consists of over 400 cattle farmers who supply milk to the cheese factory in Westbeemster with all their cows. Want to know more? Then go to www.cono.nl.

The name Beemster goes back to where the cheese is made, which is in the historic Beemster Polder in North Holland. The Beemster Polder holds the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To make one kilo of cheese, you need about ten liters of milk. A Gouda cheese weighs twelve or sixteen pounds, so this requires 120 or 160 liters of milk.

With the exception of Beemster X-O-®, all Beemster cheeses are vegetarian. These cheeses are made with vegetarian rennet (microbial). This is derived from microorganisms. On our Beemster packaging you will find the V-Label label. So you can see at a glance that the product is vegetarian.

The Vegetariërsbond manages and monitors the V-Label label in the Netherlands. The V-Label label is used worldwide.

NOTE: The Vegetarian Union has changed its logo. Now the yellow/green logo stands for vegan and there is a green/yellow logo for vegetarian. This has not yet been adjusted on our packaging. Beemster cheese is not vegan. The cheese is made from cow's milk.

The holes in Beemster cheese are formed by the lactic acid contained in the cheese. This lactic acid, which gives the cheese its distinctive flavor and allows you to keep it longer, causes a little gas to form. This is how the holes form in the cheese.

Sometimes larger holes form in the cheese. Our cheesemakers constantly check the cheeses for quality and therefore for even hole formation, but still it can happen very occasionally that there are differences. Cheese remains a natural product, of course. Large holes in cheese do not pose a danger to public health.

Did you find white dots in the cheese? Don't worry, these are so-called aging crystals formed during the cheese's aging process. These ripening crystals are characteristic of natural ripening and characteristic of the tangy taste of older cheese. Enjoy your meal!

This sometimes appears on pre-packaged cheese. The white powder consists of protein crystals. When the cheese is cut, small cheese particles may detach from the cheese and remain on the slices or pieces of cheese. They do not affect the taste or quality of the cheese.

Sometimes there is some moisture in a hole. This can happen if some cheese whey was left in the cheese during preparation. With old cheese, so-called wet eyes can occur. This is a natural process in which cheese moisture has accumulated in a "cheese eye" (a hole). This poses no danger to public health.

Old cheese is more expensive because it must be stored longer than young cheese. A young Beemster cheese matures for only a few weeks. A Beemster X-O-, on the other hand, needs more than two years to fully develop its flavor. During this maturation period, the cheese masters take continuous care of the cheese.

At Beemster, the cheese is given all the time it needs to develop its full flavor.

"Grass cheese" is cheese made from the milk of cows that, after having been in stalls over the winter, go back out to pasture and eat fresh grass for the first time. This produces tastier milk and so the cheese also tastes at its best. Because the fat in the milk has a softer taste when the cows eat fresh grass.

Beemster Grass cheese is available for a short period each year.

Yes, all Beemster cheeses are made from 100% North Holland pasture milk. This milk is collected separately and processed into Beemster cheese. At Beemster, we are convinced that cows belong in the pasture.

A cow is a grazing animal and therefore needs to find sufficient space for its natural behavior. This is why at Beemster we pay our farmers a grazing premium on top of the milk price, so that they can let their cows graze on the lush meadows of North Holland as often as possible. The well-being of the cows is close to our hearts, because they provide the raw material for our entire Beemster cheese range: flavorful milk of the highest quality.

Stichting Weidegang uses a standard of 120 days per year, 6 hours per day grazing to be called 'pasture milk'. In practice, the cows on our member farms spend many days and hours longer at pasture than this standard.

Cows are getting out of the barn less and less often. In 2014, 69 percent of Dutch dairy cows walked in the pasture, one percent less than a year earlier. In 2001, ninety percent of Dutch cows were still standing with their legs in the grass (source CBS). Some dairy farms choose to keep their cows inside year-round because they have too little land next to their barn or because it costs them more time and/or money.

CONO Cheesemakers, makers of Beemster cheese, is an advocate of "cows in the pasture. A cow is a grazing animal and should be given space for its natural behavior. The milk from cows that eat fresh grass provides more taste and creaminess in our cheese, which is why CONO Kaasmakers encourages its member dairy farmers with a premium on top of the regular milk price to let their cows graze.

Yes, the Beemster cheese that uses animal rennet that meets strict quality standards has official, issued, halal certification. However, almost all Beemster cheeses are vegetarian. In these cheeses no animal rennet is used but microbial rennet.

Please note; some cheeses are not vegetarian (yet): Beemster Organic and Beemster X-O-.

The special taste of Beemster cheese is determined by a number of important factors. First, we use the flavorful pasture milk from our Beemster cows as the raw material. In addition, the time the cheese spends in the brine bath is important, as is the time it is given to mature. Our cheese still matures in the traditional way on spruce boards, which is an optimal environment for the development of flavor.

Want to know more about the flavor? Here we tell you!

Forkiness is a typical cheese term that refers to the texture of the cheese. If a cheese has good spreadability, it is soft creamy, yet resilient and cohesive in consistency. Forkiness is tested with the fingers (spreadability) and mouthfeel.

Making cheese with vegetarian (microbial) rennet does not affect the (h)honest taste of our Beemster cheeses.

A whole wheel cheese (i.e., not cut) can be stored for up to 2.5 years. This brings out all the aromas even better and the cheese has developed ripening crystals that attest to its good quality. This long-aged cheese is a real treat. You no longer slice it, but it is divided into small shavings or pieces and eaten together with dips, nuts, fruit or simply on the go. The Beemster X-O is the oldest cheese in our range and has an aging time of about 26 months.

Cheese is a natural product, small taste deviations are part of it. It can therefore happen that one piece of cheese differs slightly from another. Also, the taste of the cheese changes as it ages, it becomes slightly spicier. Beemster cheese strives to prevent flavor deviations, which is why we perform many quality checks. Still, it sometimes happens that the cheese tastes different from what you are used to. If you taste a soapy flavor, then the ripening process has not gone well. If the cheese tastes a bit sour, it is because proportionally more lactic acid has formed in the cheese than normal. Have you bought a piece or package of Beemster cheese with a taste anomaly? If so, please contact us so we can refund the purchase price.

Different taste does not pose a public health hazard.

Cheese can become dry if not stored properly covered. The moisture then draws out of the cheese, especially if you store it at high temperatures. Lactate, a white, powdery haze on the edges of the slices, can also be a cause. This comes from the lactic acid naturally found in the cheese. As a result of cutting the cheese into slices, they may be drier and harder despite being given time to come to room temperature. Cheese is a natural product, such disturbances can occur. It does not affect food safety.

It may be that the cheese you tasted is older than the cheese you normally eat. As the cheese ages, the flavor of the cheese develops more. The cheese becomes spicier. Also, the moisture content becomes lower, so the concentration of salt becomes slightly greater in proportion.

Eating the rind of Beemster cheese is not intended in itself but not harmful. There is a breathable plastic coating on the rind around Beemster cheese It protects the cheese from drying out too much and from mold. That coating is not harmful either, your body just doesn't digest it. If you bought a package of slices of Beemster cheese, the rind has already been removed from the slices of cheese. So there is no need to cut the edges off.

Beemster cheese is best stored in a plastic box that can be sealed airtight or in greaseproof cheese paper, in the refrigerator. The flavor of Beemster cheese comes out best when the cheese is removed from the refrigerator half an hour before eating.

If you keep the piece of cheese in a sealed plastic box, foil or greaseproof cheese paper, you can use it for up to four weeks.

If you store Beemster cheese unsealed and/or not in the refrigerator, a small spot of mold may develop on the cheese. You can simply cut this away. The rest of the cheese is as tasty as ever. Do wash off the knife before cutting into the cheese again and wrap the cheese in a new greaseproof cheese wrapper or a clean plastic box.

Beemster cheese performs continuous checks at all stages of the production process to prevent errors. Did you still buy a piece or package of cheese with mold on it? Then please contact us so that we can refund the purchase price to you.

No, you can't. The only real Beemster cheese bears the Beemster crest; that is the guarantee that you are buying real Beemster cheese. However, the cheese may have been made in the cheese factory of CONO Kaasmakers, just like Beemster cheese. These cheese brands do have a different taste. In addition to Beemster cheese, the following cheese brands, among others, are made by CONO Kaasmakers:
- Beemster van 't mes
- CONO cheese
- Oudendijk
- Roodbonter
- Screen mills
- Stompetoren
- Coat of arms of North Holland
- Weydeland

In Belgium, CONO Kaasmakers' cheese is sold under the brand name Beemster, but also under other brand names.

Beemster van 't Mes is a cheese we make especially for cheese specialty stores. Check here for more info.

Sponsorship is about making choices, conscious choices. CONO Kaasmakers, the makers of Beemster cheese, is a farmers' cooperative and receives daily requests to sponsor an event, association, activity or charity. We choose to support a number of activities for a longer period of time. For example, we sponsor Kaasmarkt Alkmaar, Kaasmarkt Edam and various events and festivals in the Netherlands. In this way we reach as many cheese fans as possible with our brands.

We adhere to the sponsorship policy below for other requests.

CONO Cheesemakers' core values are: Together, Conscious, Sustainability, and the tastiest cheese! These core values form the basis of the criteria for a sponsorship request.
The emphasis is on:

- socially engaged
- sustainability
- in line with brand values

Sponsorship requests with specific community significance can only be considered for application review by emailing at least three weeks prior to the activity to sponsoring@cono.nl

Should a sponsorship request fit within our sponsorship policy, it will be further reviewed and handled by our marketing & communications department. Each request is carefully evaluated. It may happen that a request is rejected even though it meets the criteria.

Are you a CONO dairy farmer? Then send your application to livestock department, Angela Schuurman, aschuurman@cono.nl.

How nice! You want to give a talk about Beemster cheese. Of course there is a lot to tell about that! You can visit this page you can find everything you need to make a presentation.

The talk package is suitable for grades 3 through 5 and grades 6 through 8.

Because we like the fact that you are going to hold a talk about Beemster cheese, we want to send you a little surprise. Are you curious and would you like to receive this surprise? Then leave here your details here.

Have fun and good luck with your talk!

We are currently developing more sustainable packaging in which our Beemster cheese stays deliciously fresh.

The current packaging may be disposed of with the plastic waste. The separation sheets and pad may be disposed of with the waste paper.

No. Currently there are no tours of the cheese factory. However, you can visit our cheese store, which is attached to the cheese factory. The cheese store is open Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. On Sundays, the cheese store is closed all day.

No. Beemster cheese is made from cow's milk and therefore contains cow's milk proteins. If you have a cow's milk allergy, you are allergic to these proteins in cow's milk.

Note: A cow's milk allergy is not the same as lactose intolerance.

Lactose (melksuiker) komt van nature voor in melk. Tijdens de kaasbereiding wordt het aanwezige lactose door de melkzuurbacteriën uit het zuursel omgezet in melkzuur. Mensen met lactose-intolerantie vermijden vaak zuivelproducten helemaal. Dat hoeft niet want de meeste kazen zijn van nature lactosevrij. Tijdens de kaasproductie worden bacteriën aan de melk toegevoegd. Deze bacteriën breken de lactose af tijdens de rijpingsperiode. Dit betekent dat hoe langer de kaas rijpt, hoe minder lactose deze bevat. Wij laten onze kazen regelmatig testen in het laboratorium en zo kunnen wij, CONO Kaasmakers, als producent van Beemster kaas, verklaren dat alle Beemster kaas die wij produceren van nature lactosevrij is of een lactosegehalte heeft van < 0,1 g / 100 g kaas.

However, hypersensitivity reactions to lactose are complex and vary greatly from person to person. Therefore, we always recommend contacting a physician or nutritionist for more information.

Yes, of course! Beemster cheese is made from pasteurized milk. Pregnant women can enjoy Beemster cheese without hesitation.

The abbreviation GMO-free means -without the use of genetically modified organisms-. GMO-free milk is milk from cows whose feed contains no genetically modified organisms (GMO content less than 0.9%). Our Beemster cows primarily eat grass. The farmers grow their own honest grasses and crops, so never genetically modified varieties.

In addition to the grass ration, the cows eat concentrates that are also 100% GMO-free. Cheeses made at CONO Kaasmakers' cheese factory are the only cheeses in the Netherlands that are made completely GMO-free. All raw materials for the feed are grown naturally. Almost 80% of all cow feed comes directly from the region.

Everything the cow eats is reflected in the milk and thus in Beemster cheese. Natural feed, first-class milk and flavorful cheese - that is the philosophy of Beemster.

CONO Kaasmakers, makers of Beemster cheese has been certified GMO-free by the independent certifying body Qlip.

All Beemster cheeses, with the exception of Beemster Organic, contain E160b(ii)*, the natural colorant annatto. The amount used is absolutely harmless to health. During our quality controls, we always check the dye content of the cheese. * (ii) Norbixin, is the water-soluble part of Annatto.

The plastic coating around the rind of Beemster cheese contains E235 (natamcycin). This is a preservative and is made by bacteria. This protects our cheese from unwanted mold growth during the relatively long natural ripening process and makes any mold less likely to multiply. Natamycin is used in such a small amount that it does not penetrate the cheese. If the rind is removed before consumption to a thickness of about 5 mm, the natamycin is no longer present. It poses no risk to public health.

All listed E-number are tested and approved under European legislation and authorized to be used in food preparation. Therefore, it is a guarantee that it is safe.

The EKO Label stands for everything organic. So cheese made with milk from cows that only eat organic food and produced without preservatives dyes,. This only applies to our Organic Beemster cheese. The flow label of the whole cheese (wheel) as we use it has the EKO Hallmark.