The Netherlands and cheese go hand in hand. Edammer, Maasdammer, Leerdammer and Oud Amsterdam are all well-known abroad, but the most famous Dutch cheese is without doubt Gouda. Named after the town Gouda in the province Zuid-Holland where it was predominantly traded for centuries, Gouda cheese and Dutch cheese have almost become synonyms nowadays.
Export value of Gouda cheese reaches nearly 1.3 billion euros
Between 2008 and 2020, the export value of Gouda far exceeded the import. According to the most recent figures, the export of Gouda from the Netherlands was valued at over 1.2 billion euros – the second-highest value in the period surveyed. By comparison, the value of Edam cheese exported from the Netherlands in this period was 331 million euros.
Germany leading destination for Dutch cheese
Just under half of all Dutch cheese exports was destined for the neighboring countries Germany and Belgium. Nearly one-third of the cheese exported from the Netherlands was exported to Germany, and another 13 percent to Belgium. Dutch cheese was mainly popular in other European countries, but further afield the Japanese (four percent of all exports) and the Americans (two percent) were also clearly Dutch cheese enthusiasts. In total, nearly 300 million kilos of cheese were exported to Germany in 2019. Exports to Japan amounted to roughly one-tenth of that figure, at 32.6 million kilos.
Value of the import and export of Gouda cheese in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2020
(in thousand euros)
Import value includes shipping costs and insurance costs to the Dutch border (in the case of EU imports) or the EU border (in the case of non-EU imports). Imports include all goods imported for use or consumption in the Netherlands over which national taxes and import levies are paid. This includes temporarily imported goods of non-residents processed under contract in the Netherlands and goods imported from non-EU countries entering the Netherlands via warehouses and re-exports.
Export value includes shipping costs and insurance costs to the Dutch border. Exports include goods manufactured in the Netherlands and re-exports and temporarily exported goods of residents processed under contract abroad.
The figures only include cheese with less than 40 percent fat and a moisture level of between 47 and 72 percent. The figures exclude grated and powder cheese and cheese destined for processing.
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Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (August 3, 2021). Value of the import and export of Gouda cheese in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2020 (in thousand euros) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 04, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/579459/value-of-the-import-and-export-of-gouda-cheese-in-the-netherlands/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. "Value of the import and export of Gouda cheese in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2020 (in thousand euros)." Chart. August 3, 2021. Statista. Accessed July 04, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/579459/value-of-the-import-and-export-of-gouda-cheese-in-the-netherlands/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (2021). Value of the import and export of Gouda cheese in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2020 (in thousand euros). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 04, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/579459/value-of-the-import-and-export-of-gouda-cheese-in-the-netherlands/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. "Value of The Import and Export of Gouda Cheese in The Netherlands from 2008 to 2020 (in Thousand Euros)." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Aug 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/579459/value-of-the-import-and-export-of-gouda-cheese-in-the-netherlands/
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, Value of the import and export of Gouda cheese in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2020 (in thousand euros) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/579459/value-of-the-import-and-export-of-gouda-cheese-in-the-netherlands/ (last visited July 04, 2022)