Rolf and Marieke Penterman are first-generation Wisconsin dairy farmers who moved from The Netherlands to Wisconsin in 2002. Having both grown up on small, dairy farms in Holland, Rolf and Marieke wanted to pursue their passion for dairy farming in an area that would afford them the capabilities of expansion. Wisconsin, with its vast diary base and farm-friendly people, seemed ideal. Marieke discovered that she missed he beloved Dutch Gouda cheese and so began her adventure of making award winning Gouda cheese!

Her first batch of cheese was made on November 22, 2006. Soon after, she took a wheel of her Foenegreek cheese with her to the U.S. Championships in Madison, and took first place in the 2007 National Cheese Championships on her very first attempt. She has never looked back. Since that first win in 2007, she has won multiple awards each year at the American Cheese Society, U.S. Championships, and, beginning in 2008, the World Cheese Championships and many more. In 2013, she was named the U.S. Cheese Grand Champion. In 2014, Marieke swept the Plain Gouda Class, and in 2015, she took down the competition again. In 2016, she swept the Flavored Gouda Class at the World Cheese Championships. Her reputation grows and the awards continue to pour in, year after year.