Today was so fun! We headed over to a small town called Zaanse Schans to look at Henri Willig and explore. I was super excited to go to the cheese store because I did my project on their company and cheese is one of my favorite foods.

During the presentation about their company, we learned about their cheese making process and how they are sustainable. They have the same cheese making methods as they did when they first opened, and they are coming up on their 50th anniversary!

To begin, you fill up a tub with milk at 29 degrees and add the secret ingredients. After 30 minutes, the slicers begin to chop the milk and separate the liquid from the curds. By the end, there should be 90% liquid and 10% curd. They practice sustainability by not allowing any of the stuff produced from the animals to go to waste. They either give the liquid back to the cattle or send it to a beer distributor so they can make cheese flavored beer. Apparently, it is delicious. After they have the curds, they press the cheese for 2-3 hours, put it into a saltwater bath for a natural crust, dry the cheese for a couple days, then put on the layer of plastic. Henri Willig has a large range of flavors, and I was so happy I was able to try close to half of them. My favorites were defineately the garlic herb, green pesto, and the smoked gouda.

In comparison to the US, this cheese manufacturer is very animal friendly, and wants the best for their customers and animals. I have not heard of other cheese places reusing all the materials, not killing their animals, and maintaining an amazing flavor.

After taking the tour, we walked around the town and explored all of the shops and windmills. It was absolutely beautiful! Everything was so colorful, and there were so many adorable ducks walking around and hanging out with the goats and sheep.

We stopped for a quick lunch, and learned about how they make clogs, stopped for a sweet treat, and looked at the antique store. It was so fun, but we had to head out to Rotterdam! We are here now and about to head to dinner. See you tomorrow!