Want to have a “Gouda” time shopping for cheese and learning about cheese and dairy? Maybe play a game or meet a cow? Enjoy some award-winning cheeses? Then a stop at the Marieke Gouda Store at Holland’s Family Cheese is a must!
Perched right along Highway 29 where it meets Highway 73 at Exit 108 in Thorp, there are several layers to this fun stop, from shopping for fun Wisconsin items to watching its favorite food getting made – and sold.
The Marieke Gouda Store is the cheese factory and store, where you can buy the award-winning Marieke Gouda cheeses and all kinds of other foods, accessories, and more from Holland’s Family Farm. View the cheese factory from the store itself! They make cheese every day but Monday. Gouda varieties include everything from Black Pepper Mix to Cumin and Mustard Melange, Pesto Basil, Smoked, and many more.
Who’s Marieke, you may ask? She’s Marieke Penterman, who grew up on a dairy farm in The Netherlands, came to America, met her husband Rolf, and together they started a dairy farm in Thorp in 2002. Her cheesemaking skills led to Gouda styles that started garnering awards in 2007 and the U.S. Grand Champion Award in 2013. She also won the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer Award in 2015, the first female to win. Their current facility opened in November, 2013.
Across from Marieke is the Penterman Farm, where you can also watch the cheesemaking but have some fun on a jumping pillow, book a tour, and hang out with Dutchess the Cow outside – she can’t be missed.
Cafe DUTCHess is also located inside, where you can enjoy the cheeses, fresh ice cream, chocolates, or a meal from their breakfast or lunch menu. Holland’s Family Cheese, LLC hosts all of this.
Visit the store, meet their cows, book a tour, and see the passion for modern family farming and handcrafted cheesemaking.
You’ll find Marieke Gouda, Holland’s Family Cheese, and the Penterman Farm along the Highway 29 expressway at Exit 108, which is right where Highway 73 has the junction and heads north into downtown Thorp. Marieke Gouda is on the southwest corner of that interchange, within full eyeshot.
Marieke Gouda Hours:
Summer (April 1 – December 31) 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Winter (January 1 – March 31) 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Café DUTCHess Hours:
Monday-Saturday 7:00 am – 3:00 pm
Closed on New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Marieke Gouda & Holland’s Family Cheese Address:
200 W. Liberty Drive (SW corner of Highways 29 & 73)
Thorp, WI 54771
(715) 669-5230
Website
