Ploughgate Creamery and Maplebrook Farm, North Bennington
After founding Ploughgate Creamery in 2008 and building it into a wildly successful artisan butter business, Marisa Mauro faced a quandary: as a one-woman operation, she couldn’t keep up with demand. It was hard to source enough high-quality cream, and distributor trucks struggled to make it up the steep dirt road to her farm in the hills above Waitsfield. Marisa realized she had to find a creative way to keep Ploughgate going strong.
So in September 2021, she reached out to her friend Mike Scheps, cofounder and fresh mozzarella guru of Maplebrook Farm in North Bennington, and asked if he wanted to partner with her. “I’ve known Mike since I was a kid, and our families have been dear friends. If I was going to make a major change to my business, I needed to work with someone I trust and who I knew could move my brand forward.”
And that’s exactly what transpired. Four months later, Marisa’s premium butter company joined forces with one of the Northeast’s most recognizable cheese producers. “This merging was a perfect situation,” says Alex Englert, Maplebrook’s vice president of operations and grandson of cofounder Joanne Englert. “Marisa is strong in marketing, sales, and product development, and Maplebrook has the infrastructure and experience with growing a business.”
Even better? Maplebrook wanted Marisa to keep running Ploughgate beyond daily operations. “We wanted to get her out of the churn and leverage her skill sets in branding and product development,” Alex explains. “Ploughgate cultured butters complement our own premium cheeses, and they also support our bottom line. Maplebrook is tied to the caprese salad: ripe tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. Of course, we have a full range of other products, but we do most of our business from May through early fall. Butter season ramps up from fall through early winter. This partnership has helped Maplebrook flatten the curve.” Marisa still marvels at this turn of events. “Small companies like Maplebrook don’t normally have the means—or the willingness—to acquire another brand.”
The partnership officially began on January 1, 2022. The first 10 months were challenging as Marisa, Mike, and Alex got the butter operation up and running in North Bennington. “We essentially had to start Ploughgate from scratch,” Marisa recalls. “New facility, new equipment, new milk, new hands. Any one of those could have broken the deal.” During that time, Marisa trained Brandon Olson to make her line of cultured butters. Brandon is now the master butter maker who oversees his own team in the creamery. “We’ve worked really hard to make sure that Ploughgate butters have maintained consistency of flavor,” Marisa notes.
Alex Englert, Marisa Mauro, and Mike Scheps, the dream team behind the partnership of Ploughgate Creamery and Maplebrook Farm. PHOTO: COURTESY MAPLEBROOK FARM
“I feel extremely lucky to work for a company that allows me to run with creative freedom.” –Marisa Mauro
Ploughgate’s small-batch, cultured butter starts with fresh cream. The slow churning process results in a sweet, slightly tangy, creamy flavor. The lineup features unsalted, salted, maple, espelette pepper, and seaweed. Seasonal flavors rotate through as well, including balsamic and fig, crystalized ginger and cinnamon, and chocolate sweetened with maple.
“We like to work with other cool companies and highlight their brand, such as infused sea salts from Jacobsen Salt Company in Oregon and seaweed from Vitamin-Sea of Maine.” Some specialty flavors are exclusively available through the Ploughgate website and to subscribers of Ploughgate’s Butter Lovers club. (Who wouldn’t want fresh butter delivered directly to their door??) “We have subscribers in every state across the country,” Marisa says with pride.
Marisa continues to develop new products, including some that meld Maplebrook and Ploughgate. Burrino (Maplebrook scamorza formed around a ball of Ploughgate balsamic and fig butter) debuted in November for a limited run. They’ve also made a smoked scamorza filled with salted butter. “We love how these unique products celebrate the partnership and collaboration of our two brands,” Alex says.
Marisa reflects on the dizzying last few years. “I feel extremely lucky to work for a company that allows me to run with creative freedom. It could have been really hard to go from being owner to employee, but it’s been a joy to transition from being solo operator to having two wingmen at my side.”
