There’s the milkman!
A very long time ago, the milkman, greengrocer, baker and butcher went door to door selling their goods. In Amsterdam, the milkman is now back. Under the name MOMA, Marten Verdenius sells dairy from farmers around the capital.
From his classic Renault 4 milk van, Marten Verdenius of MOMA Liquid Landscape supplies residents of the capital with dairy from within a 12 km radius of Amsterdam. Around 200 farmers produce almost 1,500,000 litres of milk there every week. More than enough to supply all of Amsterdam with dairy. Yet that doesn’t happen. Less than half a percent of this milk finds its way directly to Amsterdam.
Local milk
That will change from 15 June. With his milk round through Amsterdam, Marten Verdenius wants to build a bridge between the city and the countryside. He already supplies fresh, local milk to various restaurants and cafés in the city, and with the new milk van, private individuals can now also buy fresh milk with a story. Why does he do this from squares rather than from a shop? Verdenius: ‘I think selling door to door suits my character better. I’d rather not wait for people to stop by, but actively seek them out. If the atmosphere isn’t right, I’ll happily drive on. I also think it’s great to actively start a conversation about the relationship between city and countryside, farmer and consumer.’
The milkman sells local hangop, cheese and ayran
MOMA processes milk from and at the Groene Griffioen organic farm in Weesp. The Griffioen family runs this organic farm using sustainable circular agriculture. That’s why they don’t work with the standard black-and-white Holstein cow, but with a robust breed that is well suited to organic farming: the Montebéliarde. Verdenius: ‘A French breed that is widely used for cheesemaking because of its protein-rich milk. This also makes the milk particularly suitable for making milk foam for cappuccinos, or ice cream.’
A pint of milk?
The milkman starts his round on Friday 15 June in De Pijp and the Rivierenbuurt. At 1:30 p.m., the festivities kick off at coffee shop Scandinavian Embassy at Sarphatipark. On Saturday 16 June, he will drive through Amsterdam-Oost, starting from wine and coffee bar 4850 on Camperstraat. Along his route, he’ll bring not only milk, but also yoghurt, ayran, hangop, chocolate milk and cheese. The first 568 pints of milk (568 ml each) will be given away by the milkman on Friday and Saturday. Check the exact milk routes here.
