On the way to sustainable cheese
At Veenmeester we're committed to making cheese as sustainable as possible. Through continuous innovation, we're working towards cheese that's always a little better. For nature, for animals, and for people. And of course, we're keeping our cheese masterful in terms of taste and texture. That's what it's all about, after all.
For that sustainable cheese, you need to be socially responsible. This means we produce our cheese in an environmentally friendly factory in a green environment. Always using pasture-raised milk, and sometimes even fully circular dairy. This way, we make cheeses that make you feel good.
Minimum Pasture Milk
We use pasture-raised milk for all our cheeses. This means that all our farmers' animals have access to graze outdoors for at least 6 hours a day (or more) for at least 120 days a year. This helps preserve the landscape, promote biodiversity, and enhance animal welfare.
And it's nutritious too. Our animals have access to a varied diet of fresh grass and herbs. As a result, pasture-raised cheese generally contains more healthy fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants than cheese from animals that spend all day indoors. That, too, is a responsible way to enjoy it.
Circular dairy
With Veenmeester Weldaad, we now also make cheese from circular dairy. Made with milk from 100% grass-fed cows that live a loving life at the Eytemaheert nature farm, where nitrogen-neutral agriculture is being researched in collaboration with Wageningen University. No pesticides, fertilizers, or waste.
All this to achieve minimal impact on the climate and maximum flavor. Cheese as it was meant to be.
To fully support this goal, the packaging we create for this cheese is also as sustainable as possible. For example, we use a natural rind and a label that can be grown into a field of flowers for bees and butterflies.
Factory in Oosterwolde
Together we stand stronger. That's why our cheese factory is located at Ecomunitypark in Oosterwolde. This ecological industrial estate is half natural, the other half home to innovative businesses that all have our planet's best interests at heart.
At Ecomunitypark, we share knowledge and ideas. This keeps us on our toes and helps us discover new opportunities to make our production process even more sustainable, for example. This way, we're increasingly contributing to a healthier world, every single day.
CO2 reduction certificate
After all, raw materials have to travel from the farm to the factory. And our cheese has to go from the factory back to the store. To offset the emissions from that transport, we invest in certified CO2 offset projects from the World Resources Institute.
This already earned us a nice certificate in 2022. But more importantly: we save over 4200 kg of extra CO2 in the air every year.
Mission: CO2 neutral cheese in 2034
We've come a long way with our cheeses. But there's always room for improvement. And it must be better, given the current circumstances. That's why we've set ourselves the goal of producing completely climate-neutral cheese by 2034. With at least as much CO2 absorption as CO2 emissions.
We believe that people should be able to enjoy a beautiful natural product without leaving a footprint on that same environment. And we're absolutely convinced that this is indeed possible.
Eytemaheert partner of Veenmeester
At the community park in Oosterwolde
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Come taste
Of course you want to know what you are buying. We get it. That's why you can taste our cheeses first. Just visit a specialist nearby.