$128
Pizza Lover
Two pizza nights, and caprese after both.
- Two 8oz burrata
- Two 8oz fresh mozzarella
- Two 8oz smoked mozzarella
- Two ciliegine
Small batches from the Green Mountains
Small batches. 100% Vermont milk. Crafted in the Green Mountains, every day of the week, since 2003.
Welcome
Maplebrook Farm is an artisan creamery in North Bennington, Vermont. We make mozzarella, burrata, feta, and ricotta in small batches, every day of the week, with 100% Vermont milk. What started in 2003 with twenty balls of mozzarella is now sixty-five people, a run of national awards, and — since 2022 — home to Ploughgate Creamery cultured butter.
Read our story
The old world way
Our mozzarella is made the old-world way, in small batches, using house-made curd and milk with a specific fat and protein level — the source of a rich, creamy flavor that keeps winning national awards.
What began with a Boston entrepreneur, a third-generation cheesemaker, and twenty balls of mozzarella is now 65 people making small batches of cheese every single day in North Bennington.
Meet the makers →The family
From signature burrata to cherrywood-smoked mozzarella, our artisan cheeses keep bringing home awards, year after year.
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Naturally smoked over cherrywood minutes after it's made.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Bold, creamy, small-batch feta with a salty brine. A national champion.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Basket-drained from the top of our kettles. Silky, creamy, award-winning.
Discover →
Rooted here
Every drop of milk we use comes from local, sustainably run Vermont family farms — rBGH and rBST free, from cows grazing the Green Mountains. We pasteurize it ourselves, right at the creamery in Bennington.
It's a shorter supply chain than most cheesemakers can claim, and you can taste the difference it makes.
Why Vermont milk matters →@maplebrookfarm
From Murray's Cheese in Manhattan to trattorias across New England, the country's best kitchens plate our cheese every day.
The full family
Every cheese below is made in small batches in North Bennington, Vermont, with 100% Vermont milk and vegetarian rennet.
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
★ Award winner
A whole family of sizes, from cherry-sized ciliegine to 12oz balls.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Naturally smoked over cherrywood minutes after it's made.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Cherry-sized pearls of fresh mozzarella, perfect for skewers and salads.
Discover →
★ Award winner
A pear-shaped, air-dried mozzarella that shreds, grills and fries beautifully.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Bold, creamy, small-batch feta with a salty brine. A national champion.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Our champion feta kissed with cherrywood smoke. Cheese bliss.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Dipped from our kettles the old-fashioned way.
Discover →
Kettle-dipped ricotta with a third dimension of cherrywood smoke.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Squeaky, buttery cheddar curds pulled fresh from the vat.
Discover →Gallery
We ship cold cases via FedEx anywhere in the Continental U.S.
Wholesale inquiries
Two brands under one roof
Two brands under one roof, with the same goal. Ploughgate Creamery churns cultured butter. Maplebrook Farm stretches mozzarella. Together they support local dairy — milk from nearby farms, turned into food rooted in tradition, with a contemporary approach.
In 2022 they joined forces in North Bennington. Marisa Mauro has made Ploughgate butter since 2014, and she had known Maplebrook co-founder Mike Scheps since she was a kid. Now the buttermaker and the cheesemakers share a building, a standard, and the daily work of both brands.
From the churn
New
Our new butter sheets have extraordinary depth of flavor and 88% butterfat -- higher than any sheet on the market. Designed for pastry chefs and bakers who value flavor and responsible sourcing, they are made for lamination: croissants, kouign-amann, danishes and puff pastry with shatter-crisp layers and a deep, cultured flavor.
Crafted by hand in small batches in the old European tradition with fresh local cream. We add active cultures to the cream and let it sit for 24 hours before churning, which imparts complexity to the aroma, flavor and texture. The result is nutty, grassy and sweet -- simply divine. Available in coarse sea salt, unsalted, Vermont maple, and rotating seasonal flavors.
Collaboration
An old-world cheese, contemporized: Maplebrook Farm cheese formed around a heart of Ploughgate butter. Choose cultured balsamic-and-fig butter inside our Burrino, or classic cultured salted butter inside our Smoked Burrino. One bite tells the whole story of our two crafts.
Better together
Our two flagship products, one plate. Freshly baked bread slathered with cultured butter and creamy burrata; pasta finished with both. This union speaks to the partnership of our two brands — and it might be the most decadent thing to come out of Vermont.
Meet the cheeses →Since 2003
The flashback
Visiting Manchester, Johann Englert had a flashback to her college years abroad: a cluster of fresh mozzarella balls on the counter of an Italian specialty shop took her straight back to a tiny groceria she and her mother had visited in the Italian countryside.
To her surprise, these Vermont artisans were producing genuine, old-world mozzarella. Since she couldn't find cheese like it in Boston, she bought twenty balls on the spot — and asked the owner's son, third-generation cheesemaker Mike Scheps, if he'd supply her with more.
Little did they know, a business was born.
How it grew

Five out of six gourmet shops in Boston want more of this genuine mozzarella. Shops sell out as fast as Johann and Mike can supply it — and Maplebrook Farm is born. Johann is 69 when she starts the company; within the first year, the cheese is in ten regional Whole Foods.

The operation grows from a kitchen, to a small store, to a 50,000 square-foot creamery in North Bennington. An apprenticeship program teaching the art of mozzarella starts with three local Vermonters and grows into today's 65-person team. The awards start stacking up: American Cheese Society first places for burrata, feta and ricotta alta.

Johann Englert — remembered by her grandson as "a total warrior," still working cheese shows at 80 — passes away after 17 years of spreading the word. Alex Englert joins the family business, and today co-owns Maplebrook alongside Mike.

Ploughgate Creamery — Vermont's most beloved cultured butter — joins the Maplebrook family, with founder Marisa Mauro leading product innovation across both brands.
65 employees make 20,000 pounds of cheese weekly, in small batches, every day of the week — plus cultured butter and new 88% butterfat butter sheets for the baking world.
The Green Mountain difference
Every batch starts on a local, sustainably run family farm.
Why the milk matters
Our rBGH & rBST-free, 100% Vermont milk gives our cheese a distinguishable quality and unparalleled flavor. The cows graze Green Mountain pastures in favorable seasons, and we pasteurize the raw milk ourselves, right at the creamery in Bennington.
The trophy case
Our family of artisan cheeses keeps bringing home awards, year after year.
The shop
Gift-sized orders of burrata, mozzarella, and Ploughgate butter, packed cold.
$128
Two pizza nights, and caprese after both.
$148
Two of each prize cheese, ready for a board.
$118
Two of every Ploughgate flavor.
Drop a line anytime
Questions, wholesale orders, or butter sheet inquiries for your bakery — we'd love to hear from you.
441 Water Street
North Bennington, VT 05257
Monday–Friday, 8:00am–4:00pm ET
Good questions
We source 100% of our milk from local, sustainably run Vermont family farms.
Yes. The local farms we work with guarantee that all milk delivered to Maplebrook Farm is both rBGH and rBST free.
Yes -- the cows are grass fed in favorable seasons. During the harsh Vermont winters they are grain fed.
All of our rennet is vegetarian.
Yes. All of our products are made using pasteurized milk, and we pasteurize the raw Vermont cow's milk right at our creamery in Bennington.
Yes, only 100% Vermont cow's milk. We don't work with sheep or goat's milk -- but try our award-winning cow's milk feta!
We ship cold cases via FedEx and Overnight Ground anywhere in the Continental United States.
Yes! For wholesale inquiries, contact us at alex@maplebrookvt.com. For Ploughgate butter sheets, reach out through the butter page.
Cheeses / Burrata
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Made exactly as they do in Puglia, our burrata replicates old-world fashion by stretching curd into mozzarella and filling it with a luscious creamy center. The soft center -- stracciatella, made of cream and strands of mozzarella -- gives this cheese its distinct flavor. Cut it in half in a deep plate with fresh tomatoes and fragrant basil, or with peaches and rosemary. Scoop it up with crusty bread and open a bottle of wine. Burrata is a canvas for culinary creativity.
Sizes: Available in 2oz, 4oz, and 8oz
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
★ Award winner
A whole family of sizes, from cherry-sized ciliegine to 12oz balls.
Discover →
Cheeses / Stracciatella
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Stracciatella, also known as "the goodness inside burrata," is made by soaking fresh strands of mozzarella in cream overnight. A unique substitution for traditional mozzarella, stracciatella is the perfect addition to any summer cheese platter.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
★ Award winner
A whole family of sizes, from cherry-sized ciliegine to 12oz balls.
Discover →
Cheeses / Classic Mozzarella
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Our mozzarella is made the old-world way, in small batches, using house-made curd. We use 100% single-sourced Vermont milk with a specific fat and protein level, which results in a rich, creamy flavor unparalleled in the mozzarella market. Paired with tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a little balsamic, our mozzarella will enhance any traditional Caprese salad.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
A whole family of sizes, from cherry-sized ciliegine to 12oz balls.
Discover →
Cheeses / Fresh Mozzarella
A whole family of sizes, from cherry-sized ciliegine to 12oz balls.
Our fresh mozzarella is available in a variety of sizes, including Ciliegine, Bocconcini, Ovoline, 8oz and 12oz. This mozzarella family allows for culinary creativity with sauces, salads, pizzas and more.
Sizes: Ciliegine, Bocconcini, Ovoline, 8oz, 12oz
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Smoked Mozzarella
Naturally smoked over cherrywood minutes after it's made.
Our 8oz fresh mozzarella balls and 4lb loaves are smoked minutes after they are made for optimum freshness and flavor. This is a naturally smoked product -- no liquid smoke or coloring added. Our custom smoker smolders dampened cherrywood chips, producing smoke that circulates through a low-speed fan for a delicate flavor and a desirably thin skin. The cheese rests in the smoker for no more than two and a half hours before it is cooled and wrapped.
Sizes: 8oz balls and 4lb loaves
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Ciliegine
Cherry-sized pearls of fresh mozzarella, perfect for skewers and salads.
Ciliegine (chee-leh-JEE-neh) means "little cherries" in Italian -- and that is exactly what these are: cherry-sized pearls of our fresh fresh mozzarella. Toss them with cherry tomatoes, basil and good olive oil, thread them onto skewers, or scatter them over a salad.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Scamorza
A pear-shaped, air-dried mozzarella that shreds, grills and fries beautifully.
Scamorza is a pear-shaped cheese made by tying a fresh mozzarella ball about a third of the way from the top and hanging it to dry. After drying, the cheese is either packaged immediately or naturally smoked over cherrywood chips. Scamorza can be used in the same dishes as fresh mozzarella, but since it is dried it is slightly firmer, shreds exceptionally well, and can even be grilled or fried.
Sizes: Plain or cherrywood smoked
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Whole-Milk Feta
Bold, creamy, small-batch feta with a salty brine. A national champion.
Our whole-milk feta is crafted in small batches. The 100% Vermont cow milk brings a bold, creamy flavor to this cheese. The sweet flavor and smooth texture accompanied by the salty brine will have cheese critics craving more. Available block-style or crumbled, our feta suits any salad or cheese plate.
Sizes: Block or crumbled
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Smoked Feta
Our champion feta kissed with cherrywood smoke. Cheese bliss.
We have taken our tried-and-true whole milk feta and added the subtle smoky flavor of our cherrywood chips. Behold: cheese bliss. Starting with fresh 100% Vermont whole milk, we create creamy wheels of feta, add a bit of sea salt, and then create a delicate skin of smokiness. It slices wonderfully, melts beautifully, and even crumbles well for a new spin on your favorite salad topping.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Whole Milk Ricotta
Dipped from our kettles the old-fashioned way.
Dipped the old-fashioned way from our kettles, our ricotta bursts with flavor. It is unique for its smooth, delicate texture, full flavor, and outstanding quality -- perfect for all recipes, savory or sweet. Try it on toast with cinnamon and sugar for a simple breakfast treat, or bake it into a lasagna for a traditional Italian family favorite.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Ricotta Alta
Basket-drained from the top of our kettles. Silky, creamy, award-winning.
Ricotta "Alta" (the top) is a basket-drained ricotta made from the top portion of our kettles. Creamy in taste and silky in texture, this cheese sets itself apart from our standard ricotta. The basket-drained style is ideal for a party cheese plate. Spread it on crackers or scoop it straight from the basket -- this velvety cheese has trouble staying in the fridge.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Smoked Ricotta
Kettle-dipped ricotta with a third dimension of cherrywood smoke.
Our kettle-dipped, cherrywood-smoked ricotta is unique for its smooth, delicate texture, full flavor, and outstanding quality. It is lightly smoked, adding a third dimension to our award-winning ricotta. Try it on crusty bread with a drizzle of olive oil, or bake it into a ravioli for a delicious winter meal.
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →
Cheeses / Cheddar Bites
Squeaky, buttery cheddar curds pulled fresh from the vat.
Cheddar Bites are cheddar cheese curds pulled from the vat before they would be pressed into blocks for aging. Set overnight to enhance the flavor and packaged in 8oz grab-and-go containers, these bites are perfect for lunch boxes, cocktail parties, salads, or the anytime snack. They melt wonderfully for poutine and deep-fry even better. These squeaky, buttery cheese treats are sure to be a hit anywhere.
Sizes: 8oz grab-and-go containers
Keep tasting
★ Award winner
Old-world mozzarella wrapped around a luscious cream-filled center.
Discover →
★ Award winner
The goodness inside burrata: strands of mozzarella soaked in cream.
Discover →
★ Award winner
Made the old-world way. Our award-winning signature cheese.
Discover →