Holland-Native-Wisconsin-Maker Marieke Gouda earns most domestic awards
Wisconsin cheese artisans bring home 25 per cent of all awards presented at the World Cheese Awards in Trondheim, Norway, in October 2023, with Marieke Gouda of Thorp, Wisconsin earning the most awards of any United States competitor.
The global event brings together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers and food commentators worldwide to judge over 4,000 cheeses from over 40 countries. Cheeses are sent from around the world to be judged by teams of technical experts, buyers, retailers and food writers.
Marieke Gouda of Thorp, Wisconsin, brought home the most awards of any domestic cheesemaker, with 12 ranking goudas. Marieke Penterman was born and raised in the Netherlands, where she grew up on her parents’ 60-cow dairy farm. This is where her passion for dairy cows and dairy farming began. Once in the United States, she missed the cheese from back home and began researching how to start her own business and earned her Wisconsin Cheesemaking License. She worked with a local cheesemaker and travelled back to her home country, where she trained alongside two different cheesemakers to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese.