“Don’t mind hard work.”
Welcome to Bodegraven, to the farm of Paul and Carola Onderwater.
Together with a small team, they run their dairy farm and care for their 100 cows every single day. Thanks to smart investments in both labour and machinery — alongside a lot of hard work — they’re able to manage the business efficiently as a team.
the cooperative
The Onderwater family originally farmed in Zoeterwoude, where they milked thirty cows on five hectares of grassland and produced their own cheese. When expansion was no longer possible there, they bought a new farm in Bodegraven — built in 1969 — and relocated in 1981. This move secured the future of the business.
With success: since then, the farm has grown significantly. Where they once had fifty cows and 25 hectares of land, both numbers have now doubled. Paul, one of nine siblings, was always the most involved with the farm. In 1998, his parents officially handed over the business to him.
In the early years, their cheeses were sold at the market in Bodegraven. But when that market disappeared in the early 2000s, they began looking for new outlets. After supplying various traders for fifteen years, they joined Coöperatie De Producent in 2015 — and have proudly delivered their Boerenkaas to the cooperative ever since.
working together
Like Paul, Carola also grew up on a farm — though her parents’ dairy farm didn’t have a cheesemaking operation. When she married Paul, she initially worked outside the farm, but over time she became fully involved in running their dairy business.
Paul and Carola are supported in their daily work by a few part-time employees who help with morning milking and in the cheesemaking facility, which was completely renovated in 2019. Three days a week, they use six days’ worth of milk to produce their Gouda-style Boerenkaas — a cheese that regularly wins awards at various cheese competitions.
The fieldwork and feeding of the cows are outsourced to a local contractor, and to help ease the workload, two milking robots were recently installed.
future
Life as a farmer involves much more than just caring for animals. A farmer needs broad knowledge in many areas — from nutrition and business management to regulations and administration. It’s a profession that carries a great deal of responsibility and requires hard work, seven days a week.
By running the farm well and turning their own milk into cheese, the family has created room for ongoing development and growth. Paul and Carola’s two sons are still a bit young to join in, but who knows — perhaps one day, a new generation of the Onderwater family will take over the reins and continue farming on this beautiful spot in the Green Heart of the Netherlands.
