Gouda cheese wheels at the Holland's Family Cheese store and Farm - home of the prize-winning Marieke Gouda cheese
Rolf and Marieke Penterman are first generation Wisconsin dairy farmers having moved from the Netherlands to Wisconsin in 2002. Because Holland is so small and the population so dense, farmers are limited in how much land they can obtain for dairying. Having both grown up on small, 60-head dairy farms in the eastern part of Holland, Rolf and Marieke wanted to pursue their passion for dairy farming in an area that would afford them the capabilities of expansion. Rolf’s brother Sander came to the United States in 1999 to work for a farmer in Baldwin, Wisconsin. During his three years in Baldwin Sander began to look for the best place for him and Rolf to start their own dairy farm. Wisconsin, with its vast dairy base and farm-friendly people seemed ideal and they purchased the property near Thorp. They now own 480 acres, milk 850 head and have approximately 1,300 head of cattle on their farm. After some time, Rolf and Marieke decided they would like to add more value to their milk and conceived the idea of making some of it into cheese. Marieke began by obtaining her cheesemaker’s license. She then traveled back to Holland where she spent time on a “boerenkaas”, a farmhouse cheese plant. There she learned how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese. In November of 2006 Marieke produced her first of many batches of Gouda cheese. As their farming operation and cheese production grew, so did their family. Twin daughters, Joyce and Luna, now 8 years old and their brother Dean, 5 years old, little sister Fenne 4 and brother Finn 3.
Size: 3660px × 2450px
Location: Thorp, Wisconsin
Photo credit: © Dimitry Bobroff / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cheese, cows, dairy, farm, gouda, marieke, milk, penterman, thorp, wheels, wisconsin
