Van Erk Brothers

The Van Erk family farm, nestled in the Krimpenerwaard region, is run by three brothers: Marco, Leo, and Henk. Their family has been farming here for generations, and they’ve been making cheese for the past fourteen years.

For them, entrepreneurship means constantly looking ahead — making sure the farm remains future-proof. That mindset has led to green investments and even the development of an entirely new business branch. They’re not afraid of innovation — in fact, they’re charging full speed ahead.

The cooperative

Farming on het Westeinde in Berkenwoude has been in the family of the three brothers for generations. Cheesemaking, however, is something new. It began in 2010 when Marco started working with neighbor Oskam in his cheesemaking facility. There, he was introduced to this new branch of farming and, with an eye on a future takeover, learned the finer points of the craft from Ko. Ko’s farm had been making cheese since the early 1970s — at first in the traditional way, only during the summer. But in 1978, after a freestall barn was built, they began making cheese in the old barn during the winter as well. That turned out to be quite a challenge. Because they were among the very few doing this year-round at the time, the supplier initially refused to deliver rennet in the winter. Eventually, Ko gathered everything he needed and was able to produce farmhouse cheese throughout the year. Even then, their cheese was already being supplied to Coöperatie De Producent. When the Van Erk brothers took over Ko’s farm in 2016, the co-op membership transferred with it, and they continued supplying their cheese to the cooperative. Together with the co-op, they sought out new buyers, and over the years they’ve gradually come to process all their milk themselves.

takeover

With the takeover of Ko Oskam’s farm, the Van Erk brothers gained an additional branch to their business, bringing new challenges and opportunities in livestock farming for all three of them. Just like several generations ago, three Van Erk brothers are once again working together. The additional farm, located just a few hundred meters from the family’s original farm, was already familiar to them. All three had previously worked there at some point, doing tasks such as milking and contract work. Today, the more than four hundred cows are split between the two locations, where milking takes place on both sites. One of the farms also handles calving and artificial insemination.

wide range of products

Since the 1990s, Ko has been producing only low-fat cheese (20+ and 30+). The cream left over from this is used to make butter. However, since 2011, Marco has been making full-fat cheese again in the cheesemaking facility. Over the years, the product range has varied and expanded significantly, allowing them to meet the ever-changing demand. Nowadays, all cheese is mainly made natural and in kilo sizes ranging from 5 to 60 kg, often winning awards. The cream leftover from low-fat cheese production is still processed into butter, and nowadays also into buttermilk. All the milk is processed on site; none is sent to the factory. Additionally, sometimes other types of milk are brought in to make Jersey or goat cheese.

future

The farm is well on its way to becoming energy-neutral. Solar panels are installed on the roofs, and no gas is used on the farm anymore. They are also exploring innovation opportunities in automation. For example, there is now a wrapping robot that reduces the need for manual labor. This approach not only benefits the environment but also improves the working conditions for the staff. Entrepreneurship is always about looking for new ways to make the farm future-proof, and these brothers continuously keep their eyes open so they can keep farming together for many years to come in the beautiful area Krimpenerwaard.