The Leerdammer brand officially saw the light of day in 1977, but its history is much older. The name Maasdammer is also used.

In 1914 Cees Boterkooper bought a small dairy in Schoonrewoerd, a rural town not far from Leerdam, and a tradesman named Bastiaan Baars had a small cheese shop in a nearby village. The paths of the cheese-maker and the shopkeeper finally crossed in 1970, when together they decided to develop a new type of cheese differing from the famous Goudas and other Emmentals; Leerdammer was born.

It is a cow's milk cheese with holes and a natural, delicate crust. It is also naturally rich in calcium and contains less salt and fat than traditional Gouda.