Kaasmakerij Karditsel

Kaasmakerij Karditsel is a Belgian farmstead cheesemaker based in Lummen, in the province of Limburg, specialising in organic raw-milk goat cheese. As a hoeveproducent (farm producer), Karditsel processes exclusively the organic milk of a single goat herd kept at Het Goerenhof, the organic goat farm where the creamery is also located. The herd includes several breeds, among them typically Belgian varieties that are today threatened with extinction; this mix of characteristics gives the creamery its ideal milk for flavourful cheeses. The cheeses are made entirely by hand: hand-ladled, hand-salted and ripened on site. Karditsel is officially recognised as an artisanal producer by the FOD Economie (Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy) and has carried the Handmade in Belgium label of Unizo since 2017, a mark that highlights makers of authentic regional quality products. The company was founded in 2015 by Giedo De Snijder and Magda Bauweleers, who had previously owned Kaasmakerij Midgard in Werchter, also a goat-cheese creamery, from 1981 to 2006. In the early 1990s they brought the first semi-soft goat cheeses with washed rind to market — Roderic, Carré Werchter and Briquette — and three years later introduced Merlijn (the Witte van Rotselaar or Witte van Werchter), a Belgian ripened goat-milk brie. The name Karditsel derives from the rhyme 'Mieleke, Melleke, Mol! Karwitsel, Karditsel, Kardol!', a slogan devised in 1965 by Nonkel Bob for the Melkbrigade, a campaign to encourage milk consumption among Dutch and Belgian youth. Karditsel specialises in the production and ripening of soft goat cheeses with a natural rind flora, following 100% traditional (French) cheesemaking craft: mouler à la main à l'aide d'une louche ou d'une pelle à brie (hand-ladled) and salage à la main au sel sec (dry-salted by hand). The cheeses are deliberately given old Flemish personal names to emphasise their unique character and create an emotional bond. The range includes Corneel, a vegetable-renneted cardoon cheese with washed rind; Florence, a creamy hand-ladled goat brie with white mould rind, also available with herbs or seaweed; Aurélie, a ripened goat log of the St. Maure-de-Touraine type with a geotrichum rind; Cyriel, a ripened white-mould cheese with a fine layer of food charcoal (cendre) in the middle, reminiscent of Morbier; Mathilde, a ripened cheese with a subtle geotrichum rind and a layer of sweet fig confiture in the centre; Kamiel, soft and fresh-sour with an ash-grey geotrichum rind; Rosalie, similarly soft and fresh-sour but with a warm orange geotrichum rind; Paulette, a creamy goat cheese with a finely ripened white rind; and Florette, a fresh cheese with a thin layer of honey around the rind and a mix of colourful edible flower petals. Karditsel cheeses are sold through various cheese speciality shops in Belgium and often appear on the menus of (starred) restaurants. They are also regular guests on the Flemish cooking programme Dagelijkse kost by Jeroen Meus, with recipes using Karditsel cheeses on the programme's website, and on the site of Terroir, where culinary photographer Tony Le Duc portrays culinary artisans. The creamery has won several awards: in April 2015 the Innovatie-award Land- en Tuinbouw Provincie Limburg for Corneel, which is 100% vegetable-renneted; in February 2017 Gold for Aurélie and Silver for Cyriel at the Biocaseus in Germany, a biennial international competition for organic cheeses; in June 2018 Bronze for Corneel at the Farm Cheese Awards in France in the category Fromages à Pâte Molle et Croûte Lavée; and in September 2019 Gold for Kato at Fromagora 2019 (Concours National des Fromages de Chèvre Fermiers) in France, in the European category fromages de chèvre fermiers à coagulation lactique. Today Karditsel remains a small, artisanal farmstead operation, with the creamery and farm at Goeslaerstraat 33 in Lummen.

Kaasmakerij Karditsel was founded in 2015 by Giedo De Snijder and Magda Bauweleers in Lummen, Limburg, Belgium. The founders were previously owners of Kaasmakerij Midgard in Werchter, also a goat-cheese creamery, from 1981 to 2006. In the early 1990s they brought the first semi-soft goat cheeses with washed rind to market — Roderic, Carré Werchter and Briquette — and three years later introduced Merlijn (the Witte van Rotselaar or Witte van Werchter), a Belgian ripened goat-milk brie. This background in artisanal goat cheesemaking laid the foundation for Karditsel. The name Karditsel derives from the rhyme 'Mieleke, Melleke, Mol! Karwitsel, Karditsel, Kardol!', a slogan devised in 1965 by Nonkel Bob for the Melkbrigade, a campaign to encourage milk consumption among Dutch and Belgian youth. The creamery is located at Het Goerenhof, an organic goat farm in Lummen, and processes exclusively the milk of that farm's single goat herd. The herd includes several breeds, among them typically Belgian varieties that are today threatened with extinction; this mix of characteristics gives the creamery its ideal milk for flavourful cheeses. Karditsel specialises in the production and ripening of soft goat cheeses with a natural rind flora, following 100% traditional (French) cheesemaking craft: mouler à la main à l'aide d'une louche ou d'une pelle à brie (hand-ladled) and salage à la main au sel sec (dry-salted by hand). The cheeses are deliberately given old Flemish personal names to emphasise their unique character and create an emotional bond. The range includes Corneel, Florence, Aurélie, Cyriel, Mathilde, Kamiel, Rosalie, Paulette, Florette and Kato, among others. The creamery has received official recognition as an artisanal producer from the FOD Economie and has carried the Handmade in Belgium label of Unizo since 2017. It has also won several awards. In April 2015 Karditsel received the Innovatie-award Land- en Tuinbouw Provincie Limburg for Corneel, which is 100% vegetable-renneted using the active components of the cardoon plant; an independent jury selected Karditsel as one of five laureates. In February 2017 Karditsel won Gold for Aurélie and Silver for Cyriel at the Biocaseus in Germany, a biennial international competition for organic cheeses. In June 2018 Corneel won Bronze at the Farm Cheese Awards in France in the category Fromages à Pâte Molle et Croûte Lavée (soft cheeses with washed rind). In September 2019 Kato won Gold at Fromagora 2019 (Concours National des Fromages de Chèvre Fermiers) in France, in the European category fromages de chèvre fermiers à coagulation lactique; 104 tasters evaluated 268 goat cheeses in 22 categories. Karditsel cheeses are sold through various cheese speciality shops in Belgium and often appear on the menus of (starred) restaurants. They are also regular guests on the Flemish cooking programme Dagelijkse kost by Jeroen Meus, with recipes using Karditsel cheeses on the programme's website, and on the site of Terroir, where culinary photographer Tony Le Duc portrays culinary artisans. The creamery engages with the public through social media, a blog, a newsletter, and events such as the annual Lammetjesdag (Lamb Day), when visitors can meet newborn lambs and enjoy the farm. It also operates as a zorgboerderij (care farm), combining agricultural production with social care.

• 2019

  Kato won Gold at Fromagora 2019 in France in the European farmstead goat cheese category.

• 2018

  Corneel won Bronze at the Farm Cheese Awards in France in the washed-rind soft cheese category.

• 2017

  Awarded Gold for Aurélie and Silver for Cyriel at Biocaseus in Germany.

• 2017

  Obtained the Handmade in Belgium label from Unizo.

• 2015

  Kaasmakerij Karditsel founded by Giedo De Snijder and Magda Bauweleers in Lummen.

• 2015

  Received Innovatie-award Land- en Tuinbouw Provincie Limburg for Corneel, a 100% vegetable-renneted cheese.

Artisanal farmstead producer of organic raw-milk goat cheeses, recognised by FOD Economie and holder of the Handmade in Belgium label since 2017.

• Corneel

  Vegetable-renneted cardoon cheese with washed rind and characterful flavour, a grand cru de fromage.

• Florence

  Creamy hand-ladled goat brie with white mould rind; soft at the start of ripening, characterful later; also available with herbs or seaweed.

• Aurélie

  Ripened goat log of the St. Maure-de-Touraine type with a geotrichum rind; becomes drier and smaller with age but gains character and flavour.

• Cyriel

  Ripened cheese with white mould rind and mild flavour, with a fine layer of food charcoal (cendre) in the middle, like Morbier from the Jura.

• Mathilde

  Ripened cheese with a subtle geotrichum rind that melts in the mouth, with a layer of sweet fig confiture in the centre.

• Kamiel

  Soft and fresh-sour cheese with an ash-grey geotrichum rind.

• Rosalie

  Soft and fresh-sour cheese with a geotrichum rind the colour of a warm orange sun glow.

• Paulette

  Creamy goat cheese with a finely ripened white rind; the curd melts like butter in the mouth.

• Florette

  Fresh cheese with a thin layer of honey around the rind and a mix of colourful edible flower petals.

• Kato

  Award-winning goat cheese, Gold at Fromagora 2019.

1. 1Kaasmakerij Karditsel official websitekarditsel.be
2. 2Karditsel - Wikipedia (Dutch)nl.wikipedia.org
3. 3Kaasmakerij Karditsel - Wikidatawikidata.org