Uniekaas Holland and cooperative DOC Kaas have entered a long-term alliance with Jumbo supermarket chain which is set to benefit the environment. Farmers in the Tuurlijk! program are taking additional measures to ensure they produce milk in a particularly sustainable way. They are focusing on animal health and welfare, land use and the environment, climate, biodiversity and general issues. Dairy farmers who gain high scores in these areas are rewarded with five euros per 100 kilos of milk, without a grazing supplement.

"Dairy farmers interested in this program are currently being assessed and certified,” says Guus Mensink, chairman of the board of the cooperative. DOC Kaas will make a wide range of cheese varieties from the fresh stream of ultra-sustainable milk, and these will be sold under the Jumbo private label in Dutch stores. Production is starting in April 2024. Uniekaas Holland, which is leading the collaboration, is handling the ripening, slicing and packaging as well as the sale of the cheese. The sustainability program is not a solo effort but was developed by a team. The Jumbo supermarket chain and a working group that included dairy farmers together determined how to make milk production even more sustainable.

“A wonderful step, with the three partners working together to make the cheese chain even more sustainable, from the dairy farmer to the consumer,” says Ron Krekels, Managing Director of Uniekaas Holland.