Artisanal cheeses with a unique taste and story! The Van Tricht family is a family with a passion for cheese for over 50 years. Their business, which has existed for three generations, sells products that can delight both at home and abroad. Frederic Van Tricht takes us through the rich history of his family business and tells you more about his unique cheeses. Pleased to meet you!
Can you briefly explain the history of cheese refiners Van Tricht?
In 1970, my paternal grandparents started a luxury delicatessen on the Fruithoflaan in Berchem after having run a pastry shop for many years. At that time, the offer consisted of charcuterie, prepared meals, wines, beers, preserves and of course cheese, which was a limited part of the offer at that time. At a certain point, my grandparents were at retirement age and my grandfather asked my parents if they were not interested in the business. The initial answer from my parents was no, but when there were other interested parties in the business, they decided to take it over anyway.
The first thing my parents did when they took over the business was to install a cheese counter with their savings, because they already had a passion for cheese then. They decided to expand thecheese assortment and to do so, they worked together with French cheese maturers to buy special cheeses and offer them in our shop. This idea was new to Belgium and was a great success because people came to the shop especially to discover our new cheeses.
My father also noticed that professional restaurateurs were coming to the shop to buy our cheeses. With his background as a salesman, he started supplying cheeses to restaurants in Antwerp and gradually expanded that. Soon, my father decided to build a ripening cabinet in order to experiment with the ripening of cheeses himself. Not much later, they hired their first employee Peter to prepare wholesale orders, and then I joined them.
Where does your passion for cheese come from?
My passion for cheese is certainly not innate, but has matured through a lot of work with cheese. I studied at the hotel school because, like my parents, I am a real bon vivant and really enjoy good food and drink. During my student days, I went home at the weekends to work and help out in our wholesale business. After hotel school, I immediately started working in my parents’ business. During this period my father regularly took me to cheese farmers and producers and I myself was involved in the ripening of our cheeses and that is how my passion grew.
How did it go with your father?
The cooperation with my father was always very smooth and there were never any conflicts. I am very grateful to my father that he always gave me the chance to do my own thing, but at the same time I was always open to his good advice.
Can you briefly explain to the readers what exactly you do?
We are cheese affineurs, this is a French term for the ripening of cheeses. So we are really in the business of maturing cheeses, especially artisanal cheeses. We monitor the maturing process in order to give these cheeses extra flavour and complexity. Thanks to this process, we ensure that the cheeses only go to the customer when they are at their peak. We therefore think it is important to work with good products and producers, because if the basic product is not top quality, our final product will not be top quality either.
Is sustainability important to you?
Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important for our products. That is why transparency is necessary for both the meat and the cheese industry. You know for sure that you are buying a good product when you pay the right price for it. We buy our products from producers who treat their animals with respect, give them enough space and give them the right food. We like to buy from artisan cheese makers because they go for quality and not quantity.
Where can our readers find your products?
You can still find us on the Fruithoflaan although no longer in the 1970 building but a few houses further on. There we have our largest shop where customers can buy prepared meals, charcuterie, beer, wine and of course an extensive range of cheeses. Our second establishment“Only cheese” has been located at the De Koninck Brewery for 10 years now. As the name suggests, only cheese is on offer here. You can also find our cheese at various top cafes in Belgium, but Cru also works with a large assortment of our cheeses.
Your cheeses are available in various places around the world, but which places are you proudest of?
We have been supplying someluxury resorts in the Maldives for more than 15 years, so I think it is unique that our cheeses are there. But the most unique place our cheese has ended up isthe ISS. We have an importer from New York who, among other things, supplies cheese to a cheese shop near the space base in Houston and that is how an astronaut became a fan of our cheeses. When she went on a mission, she asked NASA to send along a few guilty pleasures, including our cheese. This has happened twice and is the coolest thing I’ve experienced.
Would you have done anything differently if you knew what you knew then?
If I had been in my early years and had the same international contacts as I do now then I would have liked to spend a few years working abroad with fellow affineurs or cheese producers. I probably would have waited longer to get into the business. In the end, I do not regret starting early but I do regret not having gained more experience with other producers and not having travelled more.
What is your favourite cheese?
It’s a corny answer but I believe that every cheese has its moment. Personally, I am a huge fan of a good buffalo mozzarella or a tasty burrata. Of course, I also have Belgian favourites like the cheeses “Funky monk” and “Juliette” these are cheeses that we have made in co-creation. The “Funky monk” is a modern version of the traditional Belgian pater cheese. The “Juliette” is a goat cheese that was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our business and was therefore also named after my grandmother who founded the business in 1970.
More information about Cheese refiner Van Tricht can be found here: Website Cheese refiner Van Tricht
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