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Holland's Family Farm
Aged farmstead Gouda cheese from Thorp, Wisconsin |
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Our Story
 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, Rolf and Marieke to start their own
dairy farm. Wisconsin, with its vast dairy base and farm-friendly
people seemed ideal and they were able to purchase property near Thorp,
a small rural community located between Chippewa Falls and Wausau. And
so began the adventure.
 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 4 years old and their
brother Dean, 1-1/2 years old, recently welcomed baby sister Fenne.
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