In her teens, Ploughgate founder Marisa Mauro was somewhat of a regular at the local Italian deli in her hometown of Manchester, VT. During her visits for focaccia sandwiches and their freshly made mozzarella, she became friendly with owner Al Scheps and his son Mike, who came from an Italian cheesemaking family. That friendship was one of the inspirations behind her desire to build a life in dairy. She spent much of her teens and early 20s working on dairy farms that produced cheese until founding Ploughgate Creamery at 23 years old. First producing award-winning cheeses and then evolving into cultured butter in 2012. 

After 10 years of building her butter business, Marisa recognized that with Ploughgate's growth over the years, it had reached a point where there was more demand for her delicious butter than could be produced at Bragg Hill Creamery. Marisa felt that she had taken Ploughgate as far as she could on her own and knew that the brand could benefit from having a team. She reached out to her old friend Mike Scheps, co-founder and owner of Maplebrook Farm in North Bennington, VT (to discuss the idea of Ploughgate and Maplebrook operating under the same roof). Maplebrook had the expertise and type of facility in North Bennington, that would allow Ploughgate to expand production while keeping the product true to its high quality and artisan roots. 

Maplebrook is a Vermont business supporting Vermont people. Both Ploughgate and Maplebrook have committed their businesses to making high-quality products by hand, staying rooted in the heritage of Vermont's agricultural landscape, and delivering products that tell a story about the traditions from which they came. After years of running Ploughgate alone, partnering with a company she knew and could trust meant that Ploughgate would continue to stay true to the foundation upon which it was built. 

This change has allowed more time for new product creation, research, and development at the Bragg Hill Creamery. As an artisan, this is what Marisa truly loves to do. Along with mentorship from Mike and his dad Al, who at 83 years old is still sharing hard-earned dairy wisdom with the new generation.

Thank you for your continued support,
Ploughgate Creamery, now part of Maplebrook Farm