Originally from the Netherlands, Willem and Maja van den Hoek began making cheese almost 30 years ago in Nova Scotia, after returning to their homeland to learn the craft from an experienced cheesemaker there.

They started off by using milk from their own herd of cows, but in recent years found that they wanted to focus more on the cheesemaking. Willem and Meja are now buying in their milk from a neighboring farm.

Milk for cheesemaking is heat-treated rather than pasteurized, thereby keeping some of the original flavors of the milk.

In addition to making a range of goudas, Willem also produces a small, unique cheese called Dragon’s Breath Blue.

Made from heat treated milk, Dragon’s Breath Blue is a soft, blue cheese encased in a small outer layer of black wax.