Marieke Gouda is an award-winning creamery in Thorp, Wisconsin, known for its handcrafted Dutch-style Gouda made with milk from the Penterman family’s own cows. Founded by Marieke Penterman, who grew up on a dairy farm in the Netherlands, the creamery brings Old World techniques to America’s Dairyland. After moving to Wisconsin with her husband Rolf, Marieke pursued her cheesemaking license and returned to the Netherlands to study traditional Gouda production before launching her first batch in 2006.

The rBGH free cows milk couldn't be fresher being piped directly from the first milking of the day directly into the processing vat. The curd is hand packed into 18 pound forms before going under the press. It is then brined for 60 hours. The wheels are then transferred to the special curing room and aged on Dutch pine planks which absorb the liquid as the cheese ages. For the first 14 days the cheese is turned (flipped over) daily to ensure that the butterfat is evenly distributed throughout the cheese.