Say cheese with Hekking

In the second article on the series on organic farmers, Alex Westcott talks to him about his journey.

Twenty years ago, Herco Hekking was a cattle trader. Then in 1996, the family company converted to goat milk farming and began supplying milk to the local dairy. But when the dairy went bankrupt, he and other farmers realised that they needed to create products that had a wider appeal. By 2001, Herco and his wife Erna realised that their heart was in cheesemaking.

So, the Hekkings built and adapted their farm to become a fully-fledged cheesemaking factory, but still maintained the farming element to assist in meeting production needs.
Hekking collaborates with the neighbouring farmers, which are mostly goat, cow and sheep farms, to meet his demands.

From its humble beginnings, seven years ago, Hekking Kaas ('kaas' meaning 'cheese' in Dutch) has grown to be a well-known exporter of what Hekking calls, 'designer cheese'. "The company started with the two of us – my wife and I," says Hekking. "She has always been the cheesemaker while I have always taken care of the sales division.

Erna is very knowledgeable in our cheese factory operations. We also have in-house dairy technologists as well as an outside dairy technologist who comes in every 3-4 months to inspect the factory, which ensures that we maintain our quality standards."

Learning the trade

For a successful businessman, Hekking has no academic qualifications. In fact, he never went past high school. "I didn't click with school so when I turned 16, I left. It wasn't that I wasn't intelligent – when I was in primary school they wanted to push me ahead to high school – but I wouldn't have that," says Hekking.

His father, an animal trader, bought him a small motor vehicle and sent him around to the neighbouring farms to do business with them. "That's how I learnt about trading," explains Hekking. "Even though I'm no longer in animal trading, the lessons I learnt then were similar: I must take care of the milk and sell the products through good working relationships.

What I'm looking for are partners on the selling side. All my clients are regulars whom we supply on a weekly basis. I think this in itself is telling of what our company stands for."

Health begins with hygiene

"Good cheese starts with good feed and land," stresses Hekking. "I want to have traceability from the seed that is sowed to grow grass to the animals that eat that grass, to the milk that's produced, to the doors of the cheese factory and finally, to the consumer. That's a line of traceability and it is this transparency which is vital in the organic business."

Hekking Kaas have their own state-of-the-art lab which allows them to constantly judge the quality of the produce.

In keeping with the organic code, Hekking insists that no chemicals, additives or fertilisers are used in the farmers' lands. The animals are introduced into the land in summer and in colder months, into the stable.

"The key is to use only the best feed," says Hekking.

For Hekking, the most important part of perishable goods production is a strict focus on hygiene. "Getting it right from the foundation level is vital. I don't want our farmers to think that once they deliver the milk to the factory, their job is done. I want them to think until the end of the process – to the consumer receiving the product and really relishing its quality. I think that can be very motivating."

The animals are milked with milking machines to ensure minimal bacteria is transferred. The milk is then stored in a cooling tank at about four degrees. Hekking stresses that this part is the most crucial part of the process: "A lot of people won't eat goat's cheese because they say it smells. But in fact, when you follow strict hygiene procedures, goat's cheese has no smell at all.

"At the end of the day, I want a very good piece of cheese with a delicious taste. That's as important as following rigid hygiene procedures. So when you combine great taste with the most healthy methods of production, you can't go wrong."

Hekking collects the milk from the supplying farms and brings it to the factory and then the milk is pasteurised. This involves heating the milk from four degrees to 73 degrees for 20 seconds and then cooling it down rapidly. The milk is then taken to Hekking's three separate cheese-making rooms.

The company produces hard cheeses, soft cheeses and also white mould cheeses such as brie and camembert. It is very important that there is no contact between the three rooms and their respective workers. "We don't want someone coming from the room where we make mould cheeses to the room where we make hard and soft cheeses, because we don't want mould transferred there," explains Hekking.

Hekking follows the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. This is a food safety methodology that relies on the identification of critical control points (CCPs) in food production and during the preparation processes. By closely monitoring the CCPs, the HACCP process will ensure that food is safe for human consumption. It avoids traditional end product testing and seeks to identify hazards and reduce risks through all stages of production – from producer to plate.

Hekking agrees that HACCP is the most effective system that ensures traceability and prioritises hygiene. "We have everything on paper," says Hekking. "Our workers in the factory have an organised procedure to follow. This helps them have a clear objective and to ensure that we have a stable product.

Hekking produces around 50 different types of cheeses. The major aspect of the business is their export, which they do themselves. Hekking exports to 25 countries worldwide.
He reflects on his role in the company: "I am more of a salesman than an organic farmer. I look after the organisation and sales division of the business.

I try to establish a relationship with my clients so that I get to know what they want. My job is to create a team and to ensure that the clients receive good quality products on time, which in turn reflects well on our brand. I have nurtured numerous solid business relationships and watched them grow over the past decade. Loyalty is important to me. Many clients have been with us since the beginning so it's important that
we maintain a level of reputable fresh products."

The majority of Hekking's clients are supermarket chains that are exclusively organic.

Rising to challenges

Cow milk is available all year round. But goat and sheep milk is seasonal in that these animals only lamb in spring. This means that in winter they give little or no milk. However, Hekking has to guarantee his clients and consumers cheese all-year round. So how did he overcome this conundrum?

"I'm the go-between guy who has to service the farmer's needs as well as the client's commercial needs. I needed to find a solution so that we could continue production of goat and sheep cheeses all year round. So I worked to establish a programme with our farmers.

"Goats and sheep are pregnant from August until the end of the year. But when the farmers started working together to stagger their livestocks' breeding times – one in September, one in October, one in November and one in December – the coordination guarantees that there is fresh milk every month.

"On the flipside, in summer we have too much milk. To compensate for this we started making curd. Curd is like cream cheese – it is a half application and you can put it in the freezer. If it's kept at -20 degrees, it has a shelf life of two years. The exceptions are brie, camembert and butter cheese, which must be produced from fresh milk. But the other products can be made from curd. That's the reason why we can deliver year round," says Hekking.

No quality quibbles

The farms that supply Hekking with milk are all under Skal control. Skal is an international organic certification organisation. Their new name is Control Union. The production and processing of organic products needs to be inspected by an independent third party, according to the inspection system and its set of regulations.

Before the inspected product can be certified as organic, it should fulfil the criteria of these regulations. Control Union ensures that organic farms everywhere are judged in the same way according to the same high set of standards.

It takes a couple of years before a farmer can be declared organic. After a farmer makes the decision to convert to organic, it will take at least two years to get the farm certified. This is because all the fertilisers and chemicals have to be weeded out of the ground before the animals can consume it. For two years the farmer must wait before he can deliver his milk organically. He can then apply to get his farm certified and can offer to send their milk to a factory such as Hekking's. The selection process is strict.

"Every single ingredient that I buy has to be certified organic," explains Hekking. "For example, when we put cheese in oil,
the oil used is certified organic. The herbs I use are certified organic, so are the vegetables."

Living the lifestyle?

"As far as I'm concerned, if I know a food has been produced from land that's made use of chemicals and fertilisers, I won't eat it, because I know that the chemicals that have been used in the land are transferred into the animal, into the milk and subsequently, into my body," says Hekking.

Hekking hands on

"I learnt what I know by doing. Client relationships are my research," says Hekking. "I have good contacts with our certifiers because they are controlling the farmers and our company so we all work together. Our goals are premised on ensuring high quality."

Hekking's job as a businessman is also to watch the market and pre-empt supply. When the market is growing he communicates with the farmers to increase production. That is not to say that his industry is without its curve balls. The outbreak of animal diseases elsewhere in the world have devastating effects on the export market.

Outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and other livestock-related contaminations can mean that export within Europe and to the rest of the world can be closed for months. Hekking has to rework his strategies around such issues.

Opting for organic

Hekking insists that there are plenty of reasons why people should go organic: "It is healthy. There are no chemical additives and so there's nothing unnatural about what you're consuming. If you're eating organic foods, there's no need for you to take extra vitamins as they remain concentrated within the food itself.

It's better for you to simply start with the basics by eating good, healthy food."

Cheese is a source of albumen, calcium and vitamins. Organic preparation of cheese stresses the paramount importance of the health aspect for man and animal. The whole production process is controlled by Hekking Kaas itself: the organic curdling of the milk, the press, the brine, and finally the ripening.

The expense of buying solely organic products is obviously a concern given the current global financial crunch. Hekking is quick to counteract: "There is always a lot of food that is wasted in the home and when eating out.

In restaurants you're served enormous quantities that many people can't finish and the rest is simply thrown away. Of course organic food is much more expensive but I would suggest that it is more sensible to buy the right quantities of good food than excessive surplus of other unnatural foods. Eating good food is the most elemental means of avoiding a lot of health problems.

You will save money in medical bills by simply starting with a strong and healthy foundation at the dinner table."
This is not to suggest that Hekking is in any way disillusioned about the viability of everyone turning to organic foods: "Ideally, all farmers should go organic. But that's beyond realistic. In the real world, only a small portion of people can afford to pay for it or are willing to pay for it. Organic products are naturally sold in places where there is money and also where the idea is prevalent that this is the healthiest way to eat.

"But there are also a lot of places in the world where people are happy just to get food – organic or non-organic – so it's absolutely not realistic. But organic food helps piece for piece, part for part, to better the world and that's my idea.
"Man has grown too greedy. Take a look at chicken breeding for example.

Chickens are pumped with chemical feed to grow faster so that chicken farmers can make more money. In organic farming, the animal is left in the lands and while they may grow at a relatively slower pace, the quality and treatment of the animal is going to be far better, giving the farmer better results."

Hekking stipulates that an organic farmer needs to be the better farmer as there are no chemical enhancers to speed the process up: "We must make good cheese without any of the chemicals that they normally throw into milk. So we must be better to make a natural product that tastes just as good if not better."

The future of organic

Hekking speculates that the organic trend is growing rapidly. He attributes this growth to the fact that there are more and more young people who are educated. They are aware of the environmental pressures on the planet from a younger age.

"As times have changed, both men and women have been allowed to work, so they can also afford to take healthier alternatives. This also means that when they have children, they can pass on the message. I've been involved in this business for 10 years and awareness has grown very fast during this time.

People learn about the benefits of organic farming, they see it and then they want to do their bit, so they will pay that bit extra and in turn, the idea will filter its way through future generations."

And what of the future for Hekking Kaas as an established organic brand? "Of course I want to develop our brand. I want to branch out by exporting more. But we will remain based in Holland. It's important to have ambition. As the company grows, I get to travel and see and experience a lot and that's fantastic. I like my company. I like my job. And I like the way we're doing it."

* The cheese from Hekking Kaas is available at all outlets of Organic Cafe.