De Volle Maan

History

"De Volle Maan is a cheese factory located near Ghent. In 1994, Bart and Kathelijne started this venture with only 18 goats and they made the cheeses in their kitchen! Kathelijne grew up with cows and always wanted to do something with her hands. She is the one who makes the cheeses. Bart was not brought up in a farming environment, but from an early age he showed a great deal of interest in this environment. He takes care of everything related to the farm. At the beginning of the adventure, they sold their cheeses on the local markets. One thing led to another and they started selling their cheeses on the farm and then to shops.

Transition to organic

Bart and Kathelijne also share an enormous need to take care of the environment. That's why in 2002, as a logical consequence of their thinking, they opted for organic farming. For this family, organic means much more than the cheese they make. They try to support the fragile balance of their ecosystem by planting willows and restoring their ponds. The willow tree is the ideal nesting tree for birds.

They also keep their goats in the open air as long as possible. From the first fine days until mid-October, you can find them in the surrounding meadows. Clover is also one of their assets: their meadows are full of it! Clover extracts nitrogen from the air and thus provides rich meadows. This is what gives their goat's milk (rich in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids) and therefore their cheeses their characteristic taste.

Thanks to the passion and expertise of this family, at The Barn you can find a wide range of wonderful goat cheeses, herbs, fresh yoghurts and raw goat milk. Everything is fresh, made from raw milk and organic... Hmm, that's good!