Cheese please
WHAT'S NewS Issue 1 January 1997
working relations
3
A new cheese company is born. Formed and operated by people with
extensive experience in the business. Klooster Kaas is already selling a
variety of cheeses to an international market. Currently, it is
negotiating contracts with more potential clients. As the house bank of
Klooster Kaas, Rabobank is working closely with the company on
maturing its operations. Financial administrator Wim Bouter on the
company's progress, prospects and relationship with Rabobank.
Wim Bouter of Klooster Kaas - a wbole life in cheese business.
A new subsidiary of Bouter Kaas, Klooster
Kaas is a 50/50 joint venture between
Twee Provinciën, the fourth largest cheese
producing company in the Netherlands,
and the Bouter Groep. Klooster Kaas has
been formed and is operated by people
with vast experience in cheese production,
packaging, and trade. Although the
company has only been selling cheese
since March 1996, it is already exporting
70,000 kilograms per week and is
currently negotiating contracts with more
buyers. Many potential clients were
initially contacted during a cheese
exposition (Sial '96) held in Paris in
October last year. The five-day trade fair
kittracted cheese producers and
"connoisseurs from all over the world. The
results for Klooster Kaas were an
expansion of its international markets to
include the Caribbean, the Dutch Antilles,
and other parts of the world.
FINANCIAL CONNOISSEUR
As financial administrator, Wim Bouter
was key to the financial set up of the new
company and, therefore, has been in close
contact with Rabobank during the year
and a half he has been with the company.
Before Klooster Kaas was formed, he
worked for its parent company Bouter
Kaas. In fact, he has worked in one
capacity or another in the cheese business
ever since he was 18 years old. He has
remained in the cheese business for so
long for one simple reason: He loves it.
Bouter is lucky enough to be able to mix
his work with his passion. He enjoys
cheeses himself and is interested in all
aspects of production and marketing. In a
word, he is a connoisseur.
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT
'One of the fascinating things about this
product is its variety,' he says. Cheese can
be eaten two to four weeks after
production for a subtle taste. Or up to 18
to 20 months for a very strong taste.'
Cheese must be aged in a carefully
controlled environment using special
equipment. Younger cheese is by far the
biggest seller. Few stores carry very mature
cheese. The market for it is small. Even in
the Netherlands only 2 to 4 percent of the
cheese buying public, mainly connoisseurs
like Bouter, buy very mature cheese. To
find it, cheese lovers usually must resort to
special cheese shops.
SPECIALTY RANGE
In the Netherlands, the three most widely
produced cheeses are Gouda, Edam, and
Maasdam. The latter is mainly exported
as it has only a very small domestic
market share. According to Bouter, the
variety of available cheeses on the market
is constantly increasing. Klooster Kaas
focuses its production on these three top
sellers, but also offers many specialities
like garlic cheese, pepper cheese, walnut
cheese, mustard cheese, and cheese made
with fine herbs. In total, Klooster Kaas
produces 200 to 300 different cheese
products. The company sells 50 percent
pre-packaged cheeses, and 50 percent
whole cheeses. Klooster Kaas may be just
starting up, but Bouter is very optimistic
about the future. While clearly passionate
about his product, Bouter is equally
intense about acquiring the best possible
financial support for the company.
'Rabobank has had a very close
relationship with our parent company
since the 1960s,' he says, 'so we knew
them well. That was one reason why we
opted for the bank as house financial
institution. The other reason has
everything to do with our market. We are
increasingly export oriented and the bank
has all the resources we require to expand
our international operations.'
KLOOSTER KAAS
Het bedrijf Klooster Kaas
is een joint-venture van
de Bouter Groep en de
Twee Provinciën. Beide bedrijven hebben
een goede reputatie op het gebied van de
kaasproductie. Klooster Kaas produceert
tussen de 200 en 300 verschillende
kaasproducten en exporteert een groot
deel daarvan naar diverse landen in de
wereld. De financiële man, Wim Bouter,
heeft bij de opzet van de joint-venture
intensief contact gehad met onze bank. De
Bouter Groep doet al sinds de zestiger jaren
zaken met de Rabobank. De keuze voor
Rabobank als huisbank voor Klooster Kaas
lag dan ook voor de hand.