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Voices of ACES Blog

IBIP Day 10 | Eating Our Way Across Europe

Different types of ice cream

In the wee morning hours of Wednesday we departed from the hotel in Rotterdam to embark on the Belgian leg of our journey! Our first stop in the Flemish countryside was at the Waterhof Dairy and agro-touristic ice cream shop. We were given the opportunity to tour the site and learn about the history of the operation. The owner, explained that the income from the family farm was only sufficient to support one family. In order to generate extra revenue, his wife began making a variety of dairy products including ice cream, cheese and other delights. As the European dairy industry began to change, the family evaluated the farm’s situation and opted to purchase a milking robot and cull a portion of the herd in order to optimize the economy of scale. An investment was made in the shop and the agro-tourism portion of the family’s business, placing an emphasis on the ethos of the farm and the quality of the dairy products, especially the ice cream.

Situated just 20 minutes outside of Brussels city center, Waterhof can expect to have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 visitors on the farm per weekend during all but winter months. Waterhof’s success is credited to truly high quality products that tie consumers to the source of their goods. After a wonderful visit around his beautiful farm, we were treated to a sample ice cream cone and we can now personally attest to why 1,000 people come flocking out to Waterhof after visiting some of the beautiful castles in the surrounding Gaasbeek region!

After departing from Waterhof, we mosied down the street to the Lindeman’s Brewery where we heard and saw all about the process of making Lambic beers. After a wonderful tour with a comic tour guide, we ended the visit in the brewery’s tasting room trying some of their most famous products including Faro and Framboise. The raspberry-infused Framboise ranked at the top for most of the group. After learning about Lindeman’s spontaneous fermentation process, winter wheat beer was a treat. But, it was even more interesting to see the connection between the brewery and the dairy we visited earlier in the day; because in the winter time when Lindeman’s is producing, Waterhof purchases distiller’s grains from Lindeman’s to feed to their dairy cattle. Our tour guide even said, “farmers are Lindeman’s drinkers,” so many of us IBIPs felt right at home!

We then were taken into town to a quaint Belgian restaurant where we had a delicious lunch hosted and sponsored by University of Illinois Alumni Baron Piet Van Waeyenberge. It was so wonderful to share our experience with a native Belgian who holds such a special place in his heart for Illinois. The world is already beginning to feel just a bit smaller!

We capped off the business portion of the day at the Boerenbond, the Belgian Farmers Union, with two information-packed presentations on Belgian Farming: one from Piet Vanthesmche, the President of the Boerenbond, and another from Pieter Verhelst, Advisor for European and International Affairs. Though Holland and Belgium are so geographically close, we learned that they are quite different in terms of agricultural production and culture. Hearing from representatives of the Boerenbond certainly helped us shift out of Dutch gear and into Belgium.

We ended the day with a sloooowwww dinner at Rossi Slow Food Leuven. At dinner we broke bread with the Slow Food Leuven Chapter President, Yue, as well as Sharon Stead, Director of the State of Illinois in Brussels.  During our four hour, four course meal we learned a lot about the Slow Food Movement, Illinois’ role in international exports and business, and one another! The Italian style cuisine was absolutely delicious, and after a long day of travel and eating we were ready to hit the hay and rest up before our trip to Paris tomorrow! Bon voyage!