I grew up with the advertising slogan ‘Melk is goed voor elk’ (= Milk is good for everyone). Even today, I drink a good amount of milk and buttermilk. And cycling and walking through The Hague, I can observe interesting traces of what was once a flourishing dairy industry.
The Sierkan
For a long time the milk that people bought was of poor quality. It was skimmed or diluted with water and its cleanliness also left something to be desired. In the second half of the 19th century, people started to realize that the distribution and sale of milk had to be improved.
An important event was the establishment in 1878 of the ‘’s-Gravenhaagsche Melkinrichting’, which had as its goal ‘the sale of pure, unadulterated, unskimmed and undiluted milk’. In order to fulfil the promise of quality, this enterprise operated farms, dairies, shops and milk parlours.
It came to be popularly known as ‘De Sierkan”, referring to the ornamental milk jug that was its “logo”. At the 50th anniversary there were more than 50 stores and kiosks in The Hague and surrounding communities. In the summer De Sierkan also operated three beach tents.
The Landbouw
Van Grieken
In 1937 a larger building was needed and the company, which was now a complete dairy factory, moved to Loosduinseweg. The customers were tempted with the sales slogan ‘Voor gezonden en zieken, melk van Van Grieken’ (= For the healthy and the sick, milk from Van Grieken).
Schoolmilk
In the 1930s, research showed that children who received milk at school were sick less often, were better able to concentrate, could learn better and grew taller. Children of The Hague received milk at school for the first time in 1941. Since it was wartime, this extra food was received very well.
However, at least in the beginning, not all schools had a refrigerator; thus several generations of Hagenaars are still haunted by memories of the lukewarm milk they had to drink.
You want to learn more? Take family and friends on the city walk about Food and Drink in The Hague
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