The total cheese production in The Netherlands is 30 million pounds per week.
	All Gouda and Edam cheeses are made with animal rennet, except our Gouda Light (reduced fat Gouda cheese) which is made with vegetable rennet (non-genetically engineered, naturally occurring microbes).
	The difference between Edam and Gouda is the fat and moisture content. Gouda has 48% fat In the Dry Matter (I.D.M.) and Edam only has 40%.
	Gouda Cheese is formed into round wheels because the aging process is better and more even with this shape.
	Edam Balls are formed into a ball shape for ease of storage on the original sailing transport ships; the round shape took less space and minimized damage. They were even reported to have occasionally been used in the Caribbean as canon balls!
	The different taste in mild Gouda compared to aged Gouda is because the enzymes that are added to the milk in the cheese making process cut the peptides (milk proteins) in half, which releases the flavor. The older the cheese, the more peptides are cut in half, therefore, more taste is released into the cheese.
	A Mild cheese has been aged 4 to 6 weeks.
	A Medium cheese has been aged 8 to 12 weeks.
	A Matured cheese has been aged 12 to 18 weeks.
	An Aged cheese has been aged 6 to 12 months.
	An Extra Aged cheese has been aged for more than one year.
	The difference between Farmers Cheese (Boerenkaas, made on a farm) and regular cheese made in the factory is that Farmers Cheese (Boerenkaas) is always made from whole, non-pasteurized milk from cows feeding outside in the meadows while factory made cheese is made from pasteurized, skimmed milk.
	There are only 15 cheese factories in The Netherlands.
	There are over 650 farmers still making cheese on the farm.
	Farmers Cheese (Boerenkaas) has to be aged a minimum of 60 days in order to be imported into the U.S.
	Cheese is often coated in a red wax (paraffin) to keep the cheese from loosing moisture, thereby halting the aging process and preventing the formation of mold while it is shipped and stored.
	There are only two countries in the world buying red wax Gouda: the U.S. and the Canary Islands. All other countries import only yellow waxed Gouda.
	Not really cheese specific, but still a nice to know fact: The Netherlands, meaning "The Low Lands" is the official name for the country, but it is also known as Holland. This is because the capital city, Amsterdam, is located in the province of North-Holland, and people throughout and outside Europe would refer to their travels to the then busy shipping port as 'going down to Holland'.