Just four months after Marieke crafted her first batch of Gouda in November 2006, she captured a gold award at the US Champion Cheese Contest in 2007. Dozens of awards followed including her biggest win thus far, the United States Grand Champion in 2013. On January 24th 2015, Marieke won the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer Award. She is the first female to win this Award!
Our team works tirelessly to make sure we handcraft with passion at each step! Taste and experience the difference for yourself.
HOW WE STARTED FROM HOLLAND TO AMERICA
Marieke Penterman was born and raised in the Netherlands where she grew up on her parents’ 60 cow dairy farm. This is where her passion for dairy cows and dairy farming began. After getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Business, Marieke started a career as a farm inspector. In the meantime, her, then, future husband, Rolf Penterman, emigrated to Thorp, WI, and started a 350 cow dairy farm in May 2002.
Thorp, with a vast dairy base and farm-friendly people, was an ideal location. Marieke followed Rolf a year later. Once in the United States, she missed the cheese from back home and began researching how to start her own business. Marieke decided to get her Wisconsin Cheesemaking License. She worked with a local cheesemaker and traveled back to her home country where she trained alongside two different cheesemakers throughout the week. There she learned how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese.
TRADITION Marieke’s “oma” was a very driven, caring woman. “Oma” is Dutch for “Grandma.” Her oma was one of the first women in her town to have a driver’s license. She would start the vehicle the old fashion way by “cranking” it on the outside! Interestingly, Marieke’s grandfather never drove. Before Marieke’s oma drove, she would ride on her bike with her children and buckets to milk the cows on the other side of town! Could you imagine? If Marieke had a flat tire, her oma would fix it. There wasn’t anything that Marieke’s oma couldn’t do. Can you see where Marieke got her drive and determination? Her oma, of course! Marieke’s father, standing beside the cow, eventually took over the 16-cow herd from his mother, Marieke’s oma!
MARIEKE® GOUDA TODAY
A DREAM COME TRUE In November 2013, Marieke Penterman and Rolf Penterman opened a brand new state-of-the-art facility along highway 29 in Thorp, WI. It includes a store and viewing windows to see the farm and cheesemaking from up close. This is where their ultimate dream came true; the opportunity to have a location where they can share their passion for modern family farming and handcrafting the best Marieke Gouda in an open and educational environment. Locals are always welcome to visit!
FEMALE OWNED & FEMALE CHEESEMAKERS We are a female-owned and operated business with award-winning cheese.
There are 1,200 licensed cheesemakers in Wisconsin and only 60 of them are women. Marieke Penterman is not only the owner of Marieke® Gouda, but she is also one of our three licensed cheesemakers. The other licensed cheesemakers in Marieke® Gouda creamery are also women. Marieke has women as the head of almost every department.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
By employing many women, especially department heads, Marieke creates an incredibly empowering atmosphere where women feel comfortable coming forward with ideas. Running her business in this inclusive way has helped put Marieke on the map for her cheese-making. But don’t worry, we don’t discriminate against men!
OUR HANDCRAFTED CHEESE WHAT IS GOUDA?
Gouda cheese is one of the most popular kinds of cheese in the world! It is a mild-flavored and semi-hard cheese. One of the reasons it has a more mild flavor palate than other cheeses is due to how it’s processed. The cheese curds are “washed” with warm water to separate them from the whey. Washing the cheese curds improves the overall taste of the cheese, making it less “stinky” than other cheeses. It is also what gives it a more mild taste.
TRUE FARMSTEAD CHEESE Right away in the morning, our fresh raw milk from the local Penterman Farm is pumped directly into our milk vat. Our creamery is right across from our farm to ensure quality, and so you know exactly how we make your food! After our vat is full of rich milk, we add our signature cultures and ingredients to create an authentic Gouda using an Old World technique. Once we process the cheese curd, we press them into our wheel molds; from there, we brine them for 60 hours. They then make their way to the aging room, where they are aged for at least 60 days on Dutch Pine planks.
Vendor Biography
AWARD WINNING CHEESE
166 AWARDS AND COUNTING!
Just four months after Marieke crafted her first batch of Gouda in November 2006, she captured a gold award at the US Champion Cheese Contest in 2007. Dozens of awards followed including her biggest win thus far, the United States Grand Champion in 2013. On January 24th 2015, Marieke won the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer Award. She is the first female to win this Award!
Our team works tirelessly to make sure we handcraft with passion at each step! Taste and experience the difference for yourself.
HOW WE STARTED
FROM HOLLAND TO AMERICA
Marieke Penterman was born and raised in the Netherlands where she grew up on her parents’ 60 cow dairy farm. This is where her passion for dairy cows and dairy farming began. After getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Business, Marieke started a career as a farm inspector. In the meantime, her, then, future husband, Rolf Penterman, emigrated to Thorp, WI, and started a 350 cow dairy farm in May 2002.
Thorp, with a vast dairy base and farm-friendly people, was an ideal location. Marieke followed Rolf a year later. Once in the United States, she missed the cheese from back home and began researching how to start her own business. Marieke decided to get her Wisconsin Cheesemaking License. She worked with a local cheesemaker and traveled back to her home country where she trained alongside two different cheesemakers throughout the week. There she learned how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese.
TRADITION
Marieke’s “oma” was a very driven, caring woman. “Oma” is Dutch for “Grandma.” Her oma was one of the first women in her town to have a driver’s license. She would start the vehicle the old fashion way by “cranking” it on the outside! Interestingly, Marieke’s grandfather never drove. Before Marieke’s oma drove, she would ride on her bike with her children and buckets to milk the cows on the other side of town! Could you imagine? If Marieke had a flat tire, her oma would fix it. There wasn’t anything that Marieke’s oma couldn’t do. Can you see where Marieke got her drive and determination? Her oma, of course! Marieke’s father, standing beside the cow, eventually took over the 16-cow herd from his mother, Marieke’s oma!
MARIEKE® GOUDA TODAY
A DREAM COME TRUE
In November 2013, Marieke Penterman and Rolf Penterman opened a brand new state-of-the-art facility along highway 29 in Thorp, WI. It includes a store and viewing windows to see the farm and cheesemaking from up close. This is where their ultimate dream came true; the opportunity to have a location where they can share their passion for modern family farming and handcrafting the best Marieke Gouda in an open and educational environment. Locals are always welcome to visit!
FEMALE OWNED & FEMALE CHEESEMAKERS
We are a female-owned and operated business with award-winning cheese.
There are 1,200 licensed cheesemakers in Wisconsin and only 60 of them are women. Marieke Penterman is not only the owner of Marieke® Gouda, but she is also one of our three licensed cheesemakers. The other licensed cheesemakers in Marieke® Gouda creamery are also women. Marieke has women as the head of almost every department.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
By employing many women, especially department heads, Marieke creates an incredibly empowering atmosphere where women feel comfortable coming forward with ideas. Running her business in this inclusive way has helped put Marieke on the map for her cheese-making. But don’t worry, we don’t discriminate against men!
OUR HANDCRAFTED CHEESE
WHAT IS GOUDA?
Gouda cheese is one of the most popular kinds of cheese in the world! It is a mild-flavored and semi-hard cheese. One of the reasons it has a more mild flavor palate than other cheeses is due to how it’s processed. The cheese curds are “washed” with warm water to separate them from the whey. Washing the cheese curds improves the overall taste of the cheese, making it less “stinky” than other cheeses. It is also what gives it a more mild taste.
TRUE FARMSTEAD CHEESE
Right away in the morning, our fresh raw milk from the local Penterman Farm is pumped directly into our milk vat. Our creamery is right across from our farm to ensure quality, and so you know exactly how we make your food! After our vat is full of rich milk, we add our signature cultures and ingredients to create an authentic Gouda using an Old World technique. Once we process the cheese curd, we press them into our wheel molds; from there, we brine them for 60 hours. They then make their way to the aging room, where they are aged for at least 60 days on Dutch Pine planks.