A Dutch entrepreneur who makes cheese with farmers from Guatavita

This is Tobias Reinsdorp, the entrepreneur of the artisan cheese factory “HolAndes”.

Photo: Courtesy of HolaAndes

“Hello Anda is an artisanal cheese factory that produces aged cheeses just like the artisanal cheese factories in Gouda, the Netherlands. I brought the 1847 recipe from the Dutch Van Vliet family to a dairy cooperative near Guatavita. We use fresh milk from the region with small producers who are part of the company, and thus we combine natural ingredients from the Andes with a recipe from my country to produce gourmet cheeses.

At the moment, seven women from the village work in the cheese production, one person in the administration and two people who are responsible for logistics and marketing in Bogota. Our clients are famous restaurants and gourmet shops in Bogotá, Cartagena, Cali, Barranquilla, San Andres and Medellin. We also sell at home throughout the country, and in 2023 we sold 15 tons of cheese,” is how Tobias Reinsdorp, the entrepreneur behind this business focused on the gastronomic tourism sector in Colombia, begins to tell his story. We talked with him in 23 questions for entrepreneurs and their businesses and here is his story.

1. How old am I? What did I learn?

34 years, rural development and innovation at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

2. What was my idea and when was it born? What have I created?

I did an internship at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in 2013. Working with small coffee and panel producers, I saw a lot of potential in rural Colombia, but I also identified many challenges for producers to be able to earn a fair profit for their work.

I am from a city famous for its Gouda cheeses, Holland, and one day I wanted to bring this traditional product to my friends in Cali as a gift, I remember they were fascinated by the product and asked me why there was no cheese like the one in Colombia , for me, this question was the beginning of a business idea that was also designed as an inclusive project that would involve Colombian producers, developing a high-quality artisanal mature cheese. At the time, I didn’t know anything about cheese or how to start a business, but I knew I wanted to have an artisanal cheese business, which has become a reality that I am proud of today.

3. How did I make it a reality and put it into practice?

Back in Holland, I decided to knock on the door of a traditional cheese factory, which was founded in 1847 near Gouda, to tell them about my idea and ask if they could teach me the art of working with cheese. In my spare time I managed to work there to learn all about artisanal cheese and at the same time I founded a cooperative made up of small milk producers (COLEGA) in the village of Monquentiwa, Guatavita. The cooperative responded very well and decided to start this project with me, creating an artisanal cheese brand that we call Dutch Andes.

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4. Where did I get the money and how did I pay for it?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands supported me with technical assistance and I was able to bring master cheese makers to Colombia to help optimize the recipe, then things got better thanks to a Dutch foundation with which I was able to bring machines from Holland to Colombia.

5. What am I achieving with my venture? What am I changing with my idea?

We have succeeded in developing unique artisan matured cheeses in Colombia, with which we won international awards at the World Cheese Awards in Norway in 2023 and in Wales in 2022, demonstrating that Colombia can produce world-class cheeses.

Currently, the project creates employment for young women in the village and provides additional income to the milk producers who are part of the company. The company has brought a lot of pride to the community.

6. Am I happy?

Yes, I’m happy, I’ve had some hard times, of course living away from my family and friends in Holland has been difficult, but I really like Colombia, I have an active social life and it also helps me to move forward. I love nature, music, parties and people.

7. Would I sell my enterprise, my company?

Not even for 10,000 million, this is my life project.

8. How hard was it for me to start a business?

I started from scratch so the process was great. Building alliances and working in trust with my partners has been very important, this is one of the reasons why I have invested a lot of time in always keeping this goal strong with my partners, farmers and customers. I was very lucky in the cooperative, they accepted me as part of the family from the first moment, even with strong foundations such as the quality of their milk, work discipline and social projects.

What I like about starting a business in Colombia is that it’s a lot easier if you have good relationships. This is a country where they always want to help, and I really like that. Building good relationships with my customers, with manufacturers, with the embassy is the achievement that has allowed me to reach where I am. When you start alone in Colombia, it is very difficult, but when you come together and see each person’s strengths, everything becomes calmer and easier. It has often been a difficult journey, but seeing the solidarity of so many in different situations is another reason why I love this country.

9. Have I achieved my dream? What am I missing?

The truth is, yes, but I want the project to develop more to increase the social impact of the region, and also I would like to develop sustainable tourism in this region.

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10. What now? What’s next?

I don’t like to plan a lot, I understand that the company will continue to grow steadily this year. I also hope for the development of new dairy products and the development of ecotourism in the area.

11. Can my business scale?

Yes, we have good milk and good room to grow. The gourmet market in Colombia is growing and there are many opportunities to increase sales with our product.

12. To grow, would you get investment from a stranger? Would I give you some of my company?

I don’t see the need for it at the moment, we have a sustainable and profitable model now, so I prefer to be independent in the co-op as a single member.

13. What would you never do again?

To deal with bureaucracy or authority, there are things that work differently in Colombia that must be accepted and respected. At first I tried to go against things that didn’t make sense to me and were draining my energy even at work. Now I accept that sometimes there are things that don’t make sense, but it has to be done, when you get over it, the stress goes away.

14. Who inspired me? Who would I like to follow?

I was inspired by the first ambassador of the Netherlands, Jeroen Rudenburg, by his way of life, his communication with the humblest people and always being interested in their plans and goals. He has achieved a lot for entrepreneurs like me. He is an excellent manager who has achieved great success in four years.

15. Have I ever failed? Did I think about throwing in the towel?

I remember a specific moment when I wanted to return to Holland, it was in 2018 when the business was not generating enough to live on. Now I’m very happy that I didn’t throw in the towel and managed to create a profitable company where everyone involved wins.

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16. Do I belong to any community that helps me on this entrepreneurial journey?

I have received a lot of help from the Dutch community since starting the business; Great support in this process was provided by the Chamber of Commerce of Colombia, Holland and the Embassy of the Netherlands. We have a very good relationship and they always invite us to support them at big events.

17. ¿Is what I’m doing out of bounds? Could it affect new generations?

The cooperative has demonstrated its love, commitment and responsibility to HolaAndes. The good thing about all of this is that there are many young people who want to stay on the pavement because there are job opportunities and opportunities for growth. Over time, HolaAndes will become an important employer in the region for new generations.

18. How do I see myself in 10 years and how do I see my enterprise, my company in the future?

The truth is, I don’t like making long-term predictions. Colombia is a country where surprises are daily, so everything moves with the present.

19. ¿What role did my family and friends play?

They trusted the project very much and were always there in the most difficult moments.

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20. I did it. Would you help other entrepreneurs achieve this?

Yes, I am always willing to help other entrepreneurs realize their dreams, as long as they are business ideas that focus on the social and sustainable aspects of agriculture. Many people with up to 300 cows have contacted me to help them make the same cheese, and I’m not interested in that. I want to help those who lack funds and knowledge.

21. What role did my team play? Who is this?

My work team are village women, I trust them completely, now they make better cheese than I do. The head of the cooperative José Ignacio Tamayo and his wife Hilda María Cerón are true leaders in the community and accepted me as their son in Colombia. Daniel, a logistics colleague in Bogota, does all the additional work to mine and is very helpful, because this way I can devote myself to the commercial side of the company.

22. What is my personal seal? What sets me apart from the rest?

The ability to see opportunities in every corner and bring to life the “crazy” ideas that come to mind also excites people. I think what helps me is that I can easily connect with people, no matter where they are from, working from a trusted place. In addition, I am analytical and can quickly see a person’s strengths in order to entrust them with tasks that bring double benefits.

23. What have I learned from all this?

A lot, especially about how to run a business, from administration to marketing and sales. Another lesson my company has taught me is the ability to work in a team with people who are very different from me and my culture. And the most important thing, which also sounds cliché, is that every dream can come true if you do it with dedication, persistence, enthusiasm, positivity and realism.

If you know stories of entrepreneurs and their businesses, email us at Edwin Bohórquez Aya (ebohorquez@elespectador.com) or Tatiana Gomez Fuentes (tgomez@elespectador.com). 👨🏻‍💻 🤓📚