Marieke Penterman was born and raised in the Netherlands on a 60-cow dairy farm, so her move to Thorp, Wisconsin, with her husband Rolf in 2002 was a natural first step in carrying out their shared passion for dairy farming. In 2006, desperately missing their gouda from Holland, Marieke and Rolf embarked on a new adventure in cheesemaking. Using farmstead-fresh, raw cow's milk from their family farm, Marieke began crafting authentic Dutch cheeses. The milk is piped directly from the cows into the cheese-processing vat after the first milking of the day, and its freshness is unrivaled. The awards are proof: Just one year after Marieke crafted her first batch of gouda in November 2006, she captured a gold award at the U.S. Champion Cheese Contest in 2007. Dozens of awards have followed including the biggest win, the U.S. Grand Champion in 2013. Marieke brought her time-tested, Old World cheesemaking methods to us from the Netherlands, and we're glad she's here in Wisconsin!