Where Does Trader Joe's New Clover Gouda Cheese Come From?

One thing is for sure, Trader Joe's has no shortage of delicious cheese. The veritable wall of different cheeses, from cheddar to feta to stilton and back, is always swarmed with shoppers picking up blocks and wedges of the store's broad and constantly changing cheese selection. The newest cheese now arriving at Trader Joe's stores across the country is a clover gouda cheese from the Family Nijland estate creamery.

The family-owned and run creamery has been producing cheese and dairy products for more than 100 years in the eastern Twente region of the Netherlands near the middle of the country's border with Germany. The Family Nijland creamery prioritizes sustainable practices like using a natural diet for its crew of 250 Dutch cows as well as following traditional cheese-making practices for a completely artisanal end product. With this latest addition, Trader Joe's fans can rest easy knowing the company is always on the hunt for great new products to share.

Gouda cheese (which is great in the form of a smoked gouda cheese sauce) was named after the Dutch city of Gouda where the cheese was first created. Gouda is unique thanks to its semi-hard, almost springy texture and buttery, caramel-like sweetness. 

Family Nijland's Clover Gouda takes on a distinct floral quality due to the cow's diet of fresh grass and clover. The brand knows that a good diet makes for good milk which makes for exceptional cheese.

The floral taste paired with a rich, creamy texture and nutty, sweet flavor makes this new addition to the TJ's cheese section an entirely unique eating experience. The cheese experts at Trader Joe's suggest pairing it with apples to echo the sweetness and almonds to go along with the cheese's natural nutty quality, and no cheese plate is complete without some crusty bread in my opinion. But don't let that stop you from slicing it up and layering it on a sandwich or from taking a bite straight out of the wedge. It's your gouda, I can't stop you.