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Welcome to

Penterman Farm

About Penterman Farm

Marieke Gouda is an award-winning farmstead creamery producing some of the world’s best Gouda cheese in Thorp Wisconsin. Using only the milk from its Penterman Farm which milks approximately 375 cows right across the way from the creamery, Marieke Gouda handcrafts over 600,000 pounds of Gouda from start to finish every year in over 20 different flavors and ages.

Cheese

Gouda Cheese

Gouda Cheese

Milk

Penterman Farm milks approximately 375 cows every morning and evening. Over half of that milk is pumped right into the creamery.

Cream

Within 5 hours of the first milking of the day, the milk is made into cheese, first by adding Cultures and Rennet to the milk which coagulates the milk and produces milk solids (curds). The curd is separated from the liquid whey and washed, then cut and put into round molds, pressed, and then brined.

Age

After the cheese has brined for 60 hours, cheese makers paint a breathable coating onto the cheese that dries into a wax to protect the cheese. The cheese rounds are placed on Dutch Pine planks where it ages for at least 60 days.

Gouda originated in The Netherlands and is one of the most popular cheeses in the world. (While Gouda takes its name from the market town Gouda, no cheese was actually made in Gouda. Farmers and cheesemakers brought their cheese from surrounding towns to Gouda to sell in the marketplace.)

Gouda is a mild flavored and semi hard cheese. One of the reasons it has a milder flavor than other cheeses such as cheddar is because it’s processed with warm water to separate the cheese curds from the whey. Washing the cheese curds improves the overall taste of the cheese, and makes it less “stinky” than other cheeses.

Gouda comes in many flavors and ages – from plain just aged 60 days to cheese that is aged for over 24 months. The longer the cheese ages, the more distinct and pronounced the flavor of the cheese.

Different flavors are made by adding herbs and ingredients with the cultures at the beginning of the cheese-making process. Some popular flavors include Black Pepper, Burning Melange, Cranberry, Foenegreek, Honey Clover, and Onion Garlic.

Penterman Farm Gallery

Historical Timeline

2002

Marieke Penterman and her future husband Rolf Penterman were raised on dairy farms in The Netherlands. In 2002 Rolf emigrated to Thorp Wisconsin where he and his brother bought a 300 cow dairy farm. Marieke moved to Wisconsin in 2003.

Once here, Marieke missed the farmstead Gouda cheese she grew up with and decided to pursue a Wisconsin
Cheesemaker’s License so she could make the cheese she loved so much. She also traveled back to The Netherlands to learn from two different Dutch cheesemakers the old-style way to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese.

2006

Marieke makes her first cheeses in November 2006. Four months later she enters her first cheeses into the 2007 US Champion Cheese Contest where she wins a coveted Gold Award!

2013

Marieke and Rolf purchase a much larger farm, build a new barn and milking parlor, and move Penterman Farm to its current location. Right after the barn was operational, they built the creamery on the same property along with a store and restaurant.

2021

Today Penterman Farm is a thriving 750- head heard milking over 375 cows twice a day. Over half of the milk produced on the farm is pumped underground to the Marieke Cheese creamery, which makes cheese daily. Marieke Gouda continues to win national and international awards. To date, the company has earned 166 awards for its Gouda cheeses!

From Farm to Table

Marieke Gouda Foenegreek Grilled French Toast

Yields:
Prep Time:
Total Time:
Ingredients Instructions
  • 8 slices of heart white bread
  • 1 ½ cups half and half, warmed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 pound bacon, cooked
  • 6 ounces Marieke® Gouda Foenegreek, shredded
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1. Heat large skillet over medium heat, coat with cooking spray.
  • 2. Whisk the half and half, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a large shallow dish. Soak each slice of bread one at a time and add to skillet, cook until golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until both sides are a golden brown. Repeat with all bread.
  • 3. On a clean work surface lay out your French toast. Place bacon on 4 slices of bread and top each with ¼ of the cheese. Top each with a remaining French Toast, press down gently to set. Spread the sandwich tops with half the softened butter.
  • 4. Place sandwiches, buttered side down in the skillet. Spread the remaining side of each sandwich with the remaining butter. Cook until crisp and golden brown and cheese is starting to melt, flip and continue cooking until cheese is completely melted. Serve immediately with your favorite syrup.

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