Beemster CONO Cheesemakers Product & Company

Premium cheese

Beemster cheeses have the highest premium quality, and are sold in all kinds of varieties and ages. Beemster cheese has a special, rich and creamy taste; you can feel it melting on your tongue.

Unique heritage: Unesco World Heritage
- Since 1901 Beemster is produced with a traditional cheese making method by Cono Cheese makers. Our farmers are organized in a cooperation, which produces milk for the production of 30.000 tons of cheese.
- Beemster cheese is made in the Beemster polder, which is located 20ft below sea level in North Holland. It’s rare environmental makeup allows us to create one of the highest quality cheeses in the world, Beemster cheese.
- The Beemster polder was reclaimed from the sea in 1612. A unique area was created and declared Unesco World Heritage in 1999.


Meadow premium and traditional way of production

- Since 2002 Cono Cheese makers has started, as the first cheese maker in Europe, to pay a meadow premium to the farmers. This premium allows the cows to graze outside, in the meadow. The result is a healthier milk, which gives Beemster cheese it’s rich and creamy taste. It’s malleable structure makes it melt on your tongue.
- Beemster cheese is still made by a traditional old Dutch recipe. This secret recipe is, together with the art of cheese making, transmitted from generation to generation. Besides this, the curd and whey are cured by hand in open trays, creating Beemsters unique, malleable taste.
- Beemster cheese has a lower salt percentage than other cheeses: approximately 20% less.


Natural maturation

- Beemster cheese is ageing slowly and naturally on traditional wooden boards.
- Beemster cheese gets enough time to age and is inspected by the Master Cheese maker every day to ensure perfect maturation before being prepared for consumption.


Beemster milk: sustainable production

Since January 2008 Cono Cheesemakers is producing milk by the sustainability program of Caring Dairy, which was developed by premium ice cream producers Ben&Jerry’s. 450 Beemster farmers became pioneers in the sustainable milk production in the world and are delivering their milk to Ben&Jerry’s in Europe exclusively.


Royal Beemster

In 2001 Beemster became the first Dutch cheese making company which has the honour to carry the title ‘Royal’.