Booij Cheesemakers
Generation 7
Cheesemaking has been in the Booij family's blood for over 300 years. Marijke Booij proudly represents the seventh generation of cheesemakers. The milk comes from the neighbors' goats.
What makes Booij Cheesemakers special?
Marijke wants nothing more than to deliver top quality and have people enjoy her cheeses. "The trick is to bring out the best flavors," she says.
To achieve this, she works closely with her neighbors who supply goat's milk and with us, the cheese merchant, for the aging process. Because she's involved in the process from start to finish, her goat cheeses are, as she puts it, "beautifully balanced." Fresh, herby, not too salty, and not too "goat-like."
Marijke as a cheesemaker
"I never thought I'd become a cheesemaker," says Marijke. She graduated from hotel school. A world of hospitality, not brine and curds. Yet, she took a completely different path.
On the other side of the world
When you ask Marijke what the best thing about cheesemaking is, she gives a surprising answer: Cheesemaking has taken me to special places, like Thailand. "I still remember being somewhere in Thailand, at a super-deluxe resort, with the thermometer at 25 degrees Celsius. And there I was: teaching people how to make cheese on the other side of the world. A strange, yet special experience. One I'll never forget!"
Our collaboration
We've been working with the Booij family, or rather, with Marijke, for over ten years. Her goat cheeses are always a hit with our customers. We also continue to innovate by developing new seasonal blends each year, together with Marijke.
"In our search for 'farm goat cheese,' we came across Booij Cheesemakers," says Kees Remijn. Her brother Willem, who was responsible for the livestock at the time, moved to Drenthe in 2016, taking the herd with him. The cheese factory stayed behind. Since then, Marijke no longer makes her cheeses with milk from her own cattle, but with milk from her neighbors. That's also where the name 'Neighbor Marijke' comes from."
