A huge plaque had hung in the catering area of the De Wachter mill in Zuidlaren since 1998. More than a hundred years before, it was hung on the facade of the dairy factory in De Groeve, a stone’s throw away. “He did not belong to De Wachter,” says Jan Jansen from the mill. “We have kept it well for years. It has been completely renovated, painted and updated. And now it can go back to where it belongs.”
From 1896 onwards the enormous sign hung on the wall in De Groeve. According to amateur historian Harald Sloot, the butter from De Groeve was of such good quality at the time that it was even on regent Emma’s breakfast table. “Milk was bought in the wider area and the cheese factory was known. The cheese maker had a good reputation. The Queen’s Commissioner was completely charmed by the butter and it seems that Queen Emma actually ate it.”
The dairy closed its doors in 1968. The emblem is disappearing from view and the link between the plaque and the dairy factory is becoming increasingly difficult to establish. In 1998 it ended up at the De Wachter mill, mainly because it is a well-known museum in Zuidlaren. “There was a time when it was not entirely clear where the emblem came from, during the wanderings, so to speak,” says Sloot.
The building successively houses a furniture factory and a garage. Ultimately, the building is purchased and renovated. At the same time it is divided into several homes. “The contractor really handled it fantastically,” says Harald Sloot. “And as a token of appreciation, we thought that thing should be returned. Because the pens for it were still there all the time.”
