Vergeer Holland - Bag of Cheese
I came across this bag of Vergeer Holland assorted cheeses at my local Costco (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). The bag contains 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of individually wrapped cheeses. It is an assortment of Cheddar, Gouda and Edam.
I opened the bag and spread out the cheeses.
Vergeer Assorted Cheeses
There were twenty five individually wrapped Vergeer Holland cheeses in the bag. The bags are filled with eight individual packages of each flavour of cheese with one “bonus” cheddar cheese.
Vergeer 20g cheese packs
The packs are easy to open. You simply grab the wide end of the pack and peel the plastic wrap apart to reveal the cheese inside.
Vegeer Cheddar Cheese revealed
The cheese just pops out. The piece of cheese is what I would call a “four biter”. I suppose you could nibble on it, but four bites seems about right – maybe two bites if your are really hungry.
Vergeer has been around since 1934. According to the Vergeer website they are experts at cheese and packaging. These small individually wrapped cheese packages are clever and well designed. They are definitely consumer friendly.
Vergeer cheeses unwrapped
When I unwrapped each of the three styles of cheese I found them surprisingly similar in colour, texture and smell. The cheddar had a sharper smell that differentiated it. The Gouda and Edam smelled and looked nearly identical. In fact, I had to keep them organized for tasting because I was afraid I would mix them up.
What does Vergeer Holland Cheddar, Gouda and Edam cheese taste like? I found these cheeses a little disappointing. Since these were from Holland, I had Beemster Gouda XO on my mind. I was imagining that these would be similar. Sorry, not even close. I have had some pretty amazing cheese tasting experiences recently … this was not one of them. The vacuum packed appearance of the exterior made the cheese look wet, glossy and plastic like. The texture of the cheese was spongy. The cheddar was ordinary. The Edam and Gouda were so similar that I wonder if they are made identically and then flavoured. Of the three, the cheddar was my favourite.
I think these are good cheeses for kids because the flavours are mild and the packages are convenient. I will be putting these cheeses into my kid’s lunch boxes.
In summary:
The packaging is great but the cheese is ordinary. This is a convenience product and it suits that purpose well. I would recommend these cheeses for a lunch snack, especially for children. I do not recommend these for entertaining. These cheeses may result in a full stomach but your taste buds will probably be looking for more adventure than this cheese can deliver.
The Canada Cheese Man 
Dear Drew,
I enjoyed reading your comments on the cheeses that you have tried for your blog.
Indeed you’re right that the Vergeer cheese portions you’ve bought do not taste the same as a Beemster XO or a cheese similar to that. Reason for that is that the maturation of the cheese portions you have tasted is about 4-8 weeks. The XO from Beemster you have tasted is much, much more matured.
As you know, the more matured, the better it tastes. (Although this will always be a personal opinion. Younger people tend to like the mild cheeses more than the ‘older’, stronger flavoured, ones).
We, at Vergeer Holland, have XO/Vintage cheeses in our range as well. Especially the ‘Vintage Farmers cheese’ is one to die for. Regretfully they are not yet available in Canada.
Keep on doing the good work, I love your website!
Kind regards,
Maikel Achten
Area Manager, Vergeer Holland cheese.
You have provided some incentive to plan a trip to Holland and try some of the Vergeer XO/Vintage!
I cannot find anywhere on their website or packing if these are pasteurized or not. Do you have any information? Thanks in advance.
I recently purchased the 500G assorted bag of Vergeer Holland Cheese, three varities. Out of the 25 pieces, so far, three have had mold on them. I am quite disappointed. I don’t mind paying a little more, as long as the product is consumable. Just thought I would share this with the company. Can’t find “contact us” Thank you.