Edam cheese over the centuries.

In the 17th century Edam was the most important cheese market in the Netherlands. The market place was surrounded by a number of warehouses where cheese from many small farms was collected and sold.

In 1916, cheese traders Schardam and Groot established their export company Gestam at the Voorhaven in Edam. Twenty-seven small cheese factories supplied them with cheese, which Gestam then exported to a large number of countries. An independent committee of inspectors kept an eye on the quality of the factories' products.