The magic of “witches’ cheese”

The slogan on the packaging of the Dutch spreadable dip called Heks’nkaas translates as ‘A hint of magic’. The product has enjoyed a meteoric rise since its retail launch in 2012 – and that in a category where sizeable players with equally huge marketing budgets are formidable competitors. What’s the secret to its success?

Heks'nkaas® is positioned in the market as ‘a delicious spreadable dip which can be enjoyed at any time of the day’. It is made from fresh ingredients and is a real all-rounder: ideal during lunch, to accompany nibbles with drinks and while cooking. The Oldenzaal-based manufacturer recently welcomed members of Young Food Management on a factory visit. They were treated to an inspiring presentation followed by an extensive drinks-and-networking session.

Halloween

The Heks'nkaas® recipe was thought up by greengrocer Dennis Voerman from the Dutch town of Haaksbergen. He called the product ‘heksenkaas’ (“witches’ cheese”) to tie in with Halloween, and it was an immediate hit with his customers. He initially sold the product exclusively in his own shop in Losser, and later started selling it to one of the Zuivelhoeve dairy farms. His heksenkaas became very sought after, and at one point Voerman was producing 600kg per day. The product did a roaring trade in the Zuivelhoeve shops too. Gerjhan Roerink, owner of Zuivelhoeve, spotted an opportunity and acquired the rights to the product from Voerman. Heks'nkaas® BV was subsequently set up as a separate limited company within the Zuivelhoeve holding.

Zuivelhoeve

The Zuivelhoeve story dates back to 1981. It all started with a small shop attached to the Roerink family’s farm in Twekkelo. The Zuivelhoeve products (Boer’n [“farmers”] Yoghurt, Boer’n Vla pudding, Boer’n Muesli and Duo Vla pudding) are all made using fresh milk from the farms in the local region of Twente. The chain is fully transparent and the packaging, a plastic bucket, is also unique. The products themselves are characterised by an extra thick and creamy texture, the absence of artificial colourings, flavourings and aromas and their unusual flavour combinations. “But most importantly of all, we just want our products to be ‘Onmeunig Lekker’ (‘unbelievably tasty’),” says Gerjhan’s daughter, Jacqueline Roerink.

'Heks’nkaas arrived in the retail channel at the right time, when there wasn’t much innovation in the category'

The company Heksenkaas BV opened its doors to the members of Young Food Management (YFM) (Now OSV). At the end of the factory tour, they enjoyed dipping a range of nibbles in the spreadable dip. The reactions were wholly positive.

www.osvnetwerk.com

Growth

“In the past, the small retailers used to bring their own plastic buckets to the Zuivelhoeve shop and they added their own fruit afterwards. Then my mother had the idea of putting fruit from the Zuivelhoeve at the bottom of the buckets first and then putting the Boer’n yoghurt on top,” continues Jacqueline. “It was a big success. Just 2 years later almost all the retailers were selling those kinds of buckets.” Zuivelhoeve produces for the retail, export and out-of-home markets. The company has grown substantially, from 15 employees in 2000 to 160 in 2015. Zuivelhoeve is also active internationally and manufactures products for the UK, Belgium and Germany. There are currently 36 Zuivelhoeve shops in The Netherlands and that number is growing at a rate of five stores per year.

Apostrophe

Zuivelhoeve decided to add an apostrophe, changing the name from ‘heksenkaas’ to ‘Heks’nkaas®’, to echo the spelling of its well-known ‘Boer’n Yoghurt’ product. In 2013 the spreadable dip won the Dutch ‘Product of the Year’ award. Nowadays, Heks’nkaas is produced in a new factory in Oldenzaal which employs 60 people and ships supplies to supermarkets and wholesalers in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium in addition to the 36 Zuivelhoeve shops. In 2013 the company sold 4 million 200g tubs through supermarkets alone, and produced a total of 1.1 million kilograms of the spreadable dip. The firm is now looking at extending its cross-border operations.

Online

Visitors to the company’s website can find inspiring recipes and special offers, among other things. The website makes optimum use of graphic design elements which really bring the pages to life, especially on the ‘Het Verhaal’ page. The website already includes multilingual functionality so that the online presence of Heks’nkaas® can support the company’s ambitions to export the product to neighbouring countries. See the website for yourself at www.heksnkaas.nl .

Copycats

Achieving success is one thing, but maintaining that success is another. “We want to keep everything in-house as long as possible,” says Pepijn Lubbers, National Account Manager at Heksenkaas BV. “We protect what is ours – even in court, if necessary. We are currently involved in legal proceedings against copycats such as Witte Wieven Kaas and Magic Cheese, which have copied our taste.”

The secret to success

Pepijn: “Heks’nkaas arrived in the retail channel at the right time, when there wasn’t much innovation in the category. Our product is unique in that category: it’s fresh and made with fresh vegetables but it’s not a salad spread. It’s thinner than traditional cream-cheese products, which means it’s not only spreadable but can also be used as a vegetable dip. Moreover, Heks’nkaas is ideal for use in cooking, such as to add flavour to a hamburger.”
The manufacturer invests heavily in in-store sampling. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” is the motto in Oldenzaal. “In our experience, one in three consumers purchase Heks’nkaas after trying it. That’s a very good conversion rate.” In the meantime, chef Berry Praster at Heksenkaas is working on the development of new flavour variations.

www.heksnkaas.nl