For a long time, dairy exports have increased, in recent years even with double digits. Last year, the value of dairy exports rose by 12 percent to nearly 8 billion euros. This was reported by the Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Wednesday.
Dutch cheese export
Gouda, Edammer, Old Amsterdam, Leerdammer, Maaslander. The Dutch know their great variety of special cheeses. Something that did not go unnoticed. Everywhere around the world Dutch cheese products can be found.The foreign trade of dairy products is largely due to Dutch wholesalers. These entrepreneurs in cheese, milk and eggs put in total over 12 billion euros in 2013, 7 percent more than in 2012.
Almost 60 percent of total Dutch dairy exports go to five countries. Germany, Poland, Italy, China and Hong Kong. The export value of the dairy that goes to these countries is over 4.6 billion euros.
Tourists crazy about our Dutch cheeses
On flat wooden carriages, drawn by tough horses, farmers from the surrounding polders drive into Gouda center. Their goal: The old Golden Waag at the Market. There are traders waiting to win the best cheeses. And the sale is still as usual as it has been for centuries: by handjeklap. With this historic spectacle - which has been reported since 1198 - opened yesterday morning the first gold cheese market of the season. The Alkmaar cheese carriers were seen two weeks ago.
Tradition lives on, the anonymous factory block and the foil cheese are becoming less popular
Of course, today it is mainly folklore for tourists and residents of the city itself, but it is the epitome of the Dutch cheese tradition, which acquired the world fame. A tradition that is now a kind of renaissance. The popularity of Dutch quality cheese and specialty cheeses increases, the anonymous factory block and the foil cheese come out of grace.
Dutch Cheese Markets
See how sellers and wholesalers do business as they have for 600 years at a cheese market in the cheese capitals Gouda, Edam and Alkmaar. The latter is also home to a cheese museum. You can also go to one of the numerous cheese shops in Holland and enjoy and compare the different flavors of cheese. |
| Cheese market Alkmaar |
Visit a Dutch cheese market