Dutch cheese markets

Teams (vemen) of official guild cheese-porters (kaasdragers), identified by differently coloured straw hats associated with their forwarding company, carried the farmers' cheese on barrows that weighed about 160 kilograms.

[2] There are currently five cheese markets operating in the Netherlands – Woerden, Alkmaar, Gouda, Edam, and Hoorn.

In the summer months, shows are surrounded by stalls selling traditional items steeped in Dutch culture.

Every August, on the last Wednesday of the (central-Netherlands) school summer break, a historic cheese market is held.

From opening ceremonies to final load, market activities are explained in Dutch, German, English, and Spanish or French, and sometimes Japanese.

The guild meets in the weighing square, and its members are divided into four groups called Forwarding Companies.

Each Forwarding Company has six carriers, who fulfill any number of tasks within the market, and one Tasman, who is responsible for placing the weights onto the cheese scales.

In his speech, he takes a roll call to ensure that all the companies are there, informs them if any important guests will be attending, and tells them the amount of cheese, in metric tons, at the market that day.

The only time that the cheese market did not take place was during World War II when it was temporarily put on hold for safety concerns.

[9] Once the market opens, samplers, in white lab coats, use a special scoop to inspect the insides of the cheese wheels.

[9] The market ends promptly at 1:00 pm and all the unsold cheese is carried back to the hauler's lorry for storage.