In the world of curds and whey, it is often a risky proposition to attempt to recreate an ‘Old World Cheese’ in the new world. Gouda from Wisconsin, not Holland, can it be? Cheesemaker extraordinare, Marieke Penterman has done just that, she has brought the tradition of farmhouse Gouda from the old country to her family’s dairy farm in the American heartland.

Marieke and husband, Rolf moved from the Netherlands to Wisconsin. Having both grown up on small dairy farms in the eastern part of Holland, their plan was to continue the family tradition of dairy farming, in an area with enough land available to allow room for expansion. They settled in Thorp, Wisconsin, a rural community in the central northern part of the great dairy state. In the early stages of farm planning, they realized the need to add value to their milk production and cheese was the answer! Marieke returned to Holland and spent some time on a “boerenkass” or farmstead cheese plant, where she learned how to make authentic Gouda.

Back in Wisconsin, she made her first wheel of cheese in 2006, and she soon realized that she had found her true passion, cheesemaking. Marieke’s gouda is truly a farmstead cheese, made with raw milk, from an authentic ‘Old World Gouda’ recipe with cheesemaking equipment imported from Holland. Marieke’s Gouda has a sweet and nutty taste and the flavor becomes more complex as the cheese ages.

At Lucy’s Whey we’ve always got two versions of this cheese, a young cheese, buttery and semi-soft, aged 6-9 months. An aged version of the same cheese, 15-20 months, that has a sharp, sweet taste, with hints of caramel and crunchy crystalline specks. At Lucy’s Whey we’ve had Dutch customers that swoon over Marieke’s Gouda and comment, “this is REAL Gouda, the taste of my childhood”