Cows & Co Creamery
Carrington, North Dakota
By Nicole Thom-Arens
Published in 2023
Early one cool morning in July, Liam and I headed west from Fargo toward Carrington, North Dakota. We had a 10 a.m. appointment to tour Cows & Co Creamery, maker of Duchessa Gelato. While the creamery is open a few days a month, we’d never made it there; we’ve only had the gelato at Brewhalla in Fargo. I wanted to know more about the inspiration behind Duchessa Gelato and the company’s latest product, Dutch gouda cheese.
We met owner Maartje Murphy at the Cows & Co Creamery building on the farmstead she shares with her husband, Casey, and their son. In 2021, they renovated an existing dirt floor building on the property that was used to store machinery—this would become the creamery and an important next step in expanding their business.
“We always wanted a farmstead where we could build a creamery where people could come out and enjoy the peacefulness and quietness of the farm,” Maartje said. “My goal is for people to come here and feel like they are on a patio in the Netherlands eating gelato.”
Maartje was born in the Netherlands. She was seven years old when her parents decided to move to Canada and then to the U.S. when she was thirteen. They were chasing a dream of growing their dairy.
“We have a rich history in dairy farming. My parents milked 50 cows in the Netherlands. They wanted to expand, but the Netherlands is super small (almost four Netherlands could fit in the space of North Dakota), so they ended up in Canada where they milked 150-200 cows. Now they milk 1,500 cows,” Maartje said.
We met owner Maartje Murphy at the Cows & Co Creamery building on the farmstead she shares with her husband, Casey, and their son. In 2021, they renovated an existing dirt floor building on the property that was used to store machinery—this would become the creamery and an important next step in expanding their business.
“We always wanted a farmstead where we could build a creamery where people could come out and enjoy the peacefulness and quietness of the farm,” Maartje said. “My goal is for people to come here and feel like they are on a patio in the Netherlands eating gelato.”
Maartje was born in the Netherlands. She was seven years old when her parents decided to move to Canada and then to the U.S. when she was thirteen. They were chasing a dream of growing their dairy.
“We have a rich history in dairy farming. My parents milked 50 cows in the Netherlands. They wanted to expand, but the Netherlands is super small (almost four Netherlands could fit in the space of North Dakota), so they ended up in Canada where they milked 150-200 cows. Now they milk 1,500 cows,” Maartje said.
The creamery sells a variety of kitchen supplies, souvenirs, and gifts. Visitors get a peak at the aging gouda from the creamery dining room. A picture of Maartje's grandfather hangs above the fireplace as a reminder of the family's long history in the dairy businesss.
The creamery’s décor is modern farmhouse—white with wood and black accents. They used the footprint of the original building and made everything fit, including an aging room; a commercial kitchen, café and coffee bar; and a processing room where they make the gelato, gouda, and cheddar cheese curds. Upon entering the creamery, it is impossible to miss the wall of windows showcasing the aging room where rounds of gouda, wrapped in deep yellow wax, are aging. The aging room is kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 80-85 percent humidity year-round.
Before they had this building, Maartje was working as a nurse and making gelato in her parents’ garage.
“My whole life, I always wanted to be a nurse,” Maartje said, “but being originally from the Netherlands, we travel back at least once a year to visit family and there are lots of gelato shops there. I always thought that it would be fun to bring that back to North Dakota. There isn’t authentic gelato around here, and we have a dairy farm with lots of milk, so I thought, let’s make something with the milk from our cows to honor the hard work of my parents.”
Maartje’s parents operate Van Bedaf Dairy, which is just a few miles away from Cows & Co Creamery. They, along with her brother Piet, care deeply about the cows and their comfort. Piet has a YouTube page where he posts educational videos highlighting the work on the dairy and cow care, which contributes to consistently producing high quality milk, something they’ve won an award for every single year of running the dairy. The cows lay on sand beds. When the sand is soiled, it is run through a separator to be cleaned and then it is reused. Their diet also includes macaroni mishaps (shapes that don’t meet consumer aesthetics) from the Dakota Growers’ manufacturing facility located in Carrington.
“My parents will get byproducts from places. It’s junk there, but it’s good quality protein for the cows on the dairy,” Maartje said.
Before they had this building, Maartje was working as a nurse and making gelato in her parents’ garage.
“My whole life, I always wanted to be a nurse,” Maartje said, “but being originally from the Netherlands, we travel back at least once a year to visit family and there are lots of gelato shops there. I always thought that it would be fun to bring that back to North Dakota. There isn’t authentic gelato around here, and we have a dairy farm with lots of milk, so I thought, let’s make something with the milk from our cows to honor the hard work of my parents.”
Maartje’s parents operate Van Bedaf Dairy, which is just a few miles away from Cows & Co Creamery. They, along with her brother Piet, care deeply about the cows and their comfort. Piet has a YouTube page where he posts educational videos highlighting the work on the dairy and cow care, which contributes to consistently producing high quality milk, something they’ve won an award for every single year of running the dairy. The cows lay on sand beds. When the sand is soiled, it is run through a separator to be cleaned and then it is reused. Their diet also includes macaroni mishaps (shapes that don’t meet consumer aesthetics) from the Dakota Growers’ manufacturing facility located in Carrington.
“My parents will get byproducts from places. It’s junk there, but it’s good quality protein for the cows on the dairy,” Maartje said.
Maartje's parents opperate Van Bedaf Dairy near the creamery. She uses the dairy's milk to make gelato, gouda, and cheese curds.
You won’t see Van Bedaf Dairy cows wandering the property. These cows stay cozy and comfortable in the barn year-round.
“The cows like the temperature of 60 to 62 degrees (Fahrenheit) at all times,” Maartje said. “As soon as it gets above 80 degrees, the cows are miserable. They bunch up, they get hot, the flies are biting. While in the winter, it gets really cold with lots of snow—they can’t graze outside. In California, I think it’s the perfect temperature for the cows to be outside and grazing. In North Dakota, this just works way better for the cow comfort and the care and the workers, as well.”
Gelato’s main ingredient is milk not cream, which means Maartje doesn’t have to do anything with the raw milk before making the gelato. She just adds it to the vat with cream and sugar and starts churning.
“We have special Italian gelato machines that churn the gelato slower and warmer that takes out all the air, so gelato is super dense and creamy. When people taste it, they think there’s more cream in it, but it’s just the way we churn it that makes it taste that way. It’s half the butter fat and twice the protein and a little less sugar content than ice cream, but it is still a dessert—everything in moderation,” Maartje said.
Maartje and her mom, Conny, traveled to Chicago to take a class in gelato making from an Italian gelato maker. While there, they learned the basics and came home to experiment. Maartje and Conny also have gelato-making friends in the Netherlands who have mentored them through perfecting the art by mastering the consistency and texture. Today, they use real ingredients and create seasonal favorites. Whole coffee beans from Thunder Coffee do a cold steep in the gelato base to create the white coffee flavor; fresh lavender is steeped in a separate gelato base and swirled with lemon curd for a gourmet lavender lemon flavor. While Maartje and Conny develop most of the flavors that make it to customers, the gelato making team is often inspired to try something new.
“We’re constantly changing our flavors,” Maartje said. “We do flavors in season—rhubarb, raspberries, honeyberries, juneberries during summer. In the winter, we do more nuts and chocolate-y flavors because there’s not a lot of fresh fruit. A lot of our inspiration comes from the Netherlands. We want to get those flavors and tastes here, but it can be hard because the ingredients are different.”
When Maartje decided it was time to expand into the cheese-making business, she was inspired, again, by her time in the Netherlands.
“Gouda is the traditional Dutch cheese. We had always been trying to find some traditional Dutch gouda and we couldn’t find it,” Maartje said.
“The cows like the temperature of 60 to 62 degrees (Fahrenheit) at all times,” Maartje said. “As soon as it gets above 80 degrees, the cows are miserable. They bunch up, they get hot, the flies are biting. While in the winter, it gets really cold with lots of snow—they can’t graze outside. In California, I think it’s the perfect temperature for the cows to be outside and grazing. In North Dakota, this just works way better for the cow comfort and the care and the workers, as well.”
Gelato’s main ingredient is milk not cream, which means Maartje doesn’t have to do anything with the raw milk before making the gelato. She just adds it to the vat with cream and sugar and starts churning.
“We have special Italian gelato machines that churn the gelato slower and warmer that takes out all the air, so gelato is super dense and creamy. When people taste it, they think there’s more cream in it, but it’s just the way we churn it that makes it taste that way. It’s half the butter fat and twice the protein and a little less sugar content than ice cream, but it is still a dessert—everything in moderation,” Maartje said.
Maartje and her mom, Conny, traveled to Chicago to take a class in gelato making from an Italian gelato maker. While there, they learned the basics and came home to experiment. Maartje and Conny also have gelato-making friends in the Netherlands who have mentored them through perfecting the art by mastering the consistency and texture. Today, they use real ingredients and create seasonal favorites. Whole coffee beans from Thunder Coffee do a cold steep in the gelato base to create the white coffee flavor; fresh lavender is steeped in a separate gelato base and swirled with lemon curd for a gourmet lavender lemon flavor. While Maartje and Conny develop most of the flavors that make it to customers, the gelato making team is often inspired to try something new.
“We’re constantly changing our flavors,” Maartje said. “We do flavors in season—rhubarb, raspberries, honeyberries, juneberries during summer. In the winter, we do more nuts and chocolate-y flavors because there’s not a lot of fresh fruit. A lot of our inspiration comes from the Netherlands. We want to get those flavors and tastes here, but it can be hard because the ingredients are different.”
When Maartje decided it was time to expand into the cheese-making business, she was inspired, again, by her time in the Netherlands.
“Gouda is the traditional Dutch cheese. We had always been trying to find some traditional Dutch gouda and we couldn’t find it,” Maartje said.
Each shelf is marked with a date. Maartje is excited to have two-year-old cheese. There's no rushing the aging process; time takes time.
Conny had experience making cheese when she was younger in the Netherlands and even lived in New Zealand with a Dutch family and made cheese for six months.
“My mom always wanted to make cheese, and I always wanted to expand into more dairy products. I thought, let’s make gouda. People don’t have that here. Let’s really show people what true artisan cheese tastes like,” Maartje said.
“My mom always wanted to make cheese, and I always wanted to expand into more dairy products. I thought, let’s make gouda. People don’t have that here. Let’s really show people what true artisan cheese tastes like,” Maartje said.
Cows & Co Creamery cheesemakers working on a batch of fresh cheddar cheese curds.
At first, Maartje was reluctant to add cheese curds to Cows & Co’s product list, but people kept requesting them.
“We got so many requests to make cheese curds—we’re in the Midwest and people love them,” Maartje said. “All our cheese curds are sold fresh. We make them about once a week. That’s a unique thing about our curds.”
Because the cheese curds are sold fresh without any anti-molding agents added, the shelf life is much shorter than those curds you may see in gas stations and grocery stores. Cows & Co cheese curds are meant to be enjoyed within a week of being made—the freshness is part of the beauty of having access to artisan products, which is something Maartje would like to see more of in North Dakota.
“The Netherlands has 300 on-farm cheese makers. Everything there is fresh. Lots of vegetables, high quality bread—everything is made from scratch,” Maartje said. “Obviously, North Dakota’s climate isn’t the easiest to grow produce—we only have a few months to do that in—that makes it challenging, so we get it from the store but that comes from so far away. There are a lot of things in North Dakota; look for the things you can make and grow yourself here.”
Because the Netherlands is such a small country and the people and the makers are much closer to each other, accessing freshly made, artisan food is easier, making the food culture much different from North Dakota’s. For a foodie like me who loves a good farm-to-table meal, it can be frustrating seeing so few restaurants capitalizing on what is accessible and seasonal in our region. Given that the gelato must be frozen, and gouda gets sharper and more flavorful with age, Cows & Co Creamery has found two ways to optimize and showcase North Dakota milk in two delicious and unique ways.
“We got so many requests to make cheese curds—we’re in the Midwest and people love them,” Maartje said. “All our cheese curds are sold fresh. We make them about once a week. That’s a unique thing about our curds.”
Because the cheese curds are sold fresh without any anti-molding agents added, the shelf life is much shorter than those curds you may see in gas stations and grocery stores. Cows & Co cheese curds are meant to be enjoyed within a week of being made—the freshness is part of the beauty of having access to artisan products, which is something Maartje would like to see more of in North Dakota.
“The Netherlands has 300 on-farm cheese makers. Everything there is fresh. Lots of vegetables, high quality bread—everything is made from scratch,” Maartje said. “Obviously, North Dakota’s climate isn’t the easiest to grow produce—we only have a few months to do that in—that makes it challenging, so we get it from the store but that comes from so far away. There are a lot of things in North Dakota; look for the things you can make and grow yourself here.”
Because the Netherlands is such a small country and the people and the makers are much closer to each other, accessing freshly made, artisan food is easier, making the food culture much different from North Dakota’s. For a foodie like me who loves a good farm-to-table meal, it can be frustrating seeing so few restaurants capitalizing on what is accessible and seasonal in our region. Given that the gelato must be frozen, and gouda gets sharper and more flavorful with age, Cows & Co Creamery has found two ways to optimize and showcase North Dakota milk in two delicious and unique ways.
The Milkhouse is open daily for locals, and those passing through, to pick up gelato and gouda among other unique items.
Before leaving the farmstead, Liam and I stopped at the Milkhouse across the yard, which is open daily and run on an honor system. We picked up a pound of young gouda, some naturally dyed rainbow pasta, and a pint of blueberry cheesecake gelato to share on the ride home—Cows & Co conveniently supplies tiny disposable spoons. After just a few bites, Liam proclaimed his love of gelato over ice cream.
The next day, we broke into the gouda. It was smooth and mild in flavor—reminiscent of block mozzarella with greater depth of flavor and richness. We shredded some for homemade pizza that night, shared some with the neighbor, and enjoyed the rest as a snack or with lunch during the week. Because we knew cheese curds were being delivered to Brewhalla, we made a trip downtown to pick some up a couple days after our visit to the creamery. They were firm, squeaky, salty, and mild.
Cows & Cow Creamery is located at 7321 First Street Northeast just outside Carrington. The Milkhouse is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can get the café schedule on the creamery’s website. While customers in Fargo can get Cows & Co products at Brewhalla and those in Grand Forks can find gelato and cheese at Bernie’s, don’t miss your opportunity to experience the farmstead and the creamery. Carrington is just a two-hour drive from Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, and Grand Forks. Its central location makes it a great road trip. Enjoy the views—North Dakota puts on a show during summer months with blooming fields and rolling grasses—and allow Maartje and family serve you a taste of the Netherlands on the North Dakota prairie.
The next day, we broke into the gouda. It was smooth and mild in flavor—reminiscent of block mozzarella with greater depth of flavor and richness. We shredded some for homemade pizza that night, shared some with the neighbor, and enjoyed the rest as a snack or with lunch during the week. Because we knew cheese curds were being delivered to Brewhalla, we made a trip downtown to pick some up a couple days after our visit to the creamery. They were firm, squeaky, salty, and mild.
Cows & Cow Creamery is located at 7321 First Street Northeast just outside Carrington. The Milkhouse is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can get the café schedule on the creamery’s website. While customers in Fargo can get Cows & Co products at Brewhalla and those in Grand Forks can find gelato and cheese at Bernie’s, don’t miss your opportunity to experience the farmstead and the creamery. Carrington is just a two-hour drive from Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, and Grand Forks. Its central location makes it a great road trip. Enjoy the views—North Dakota puts on a show during summer months with blooming fields and rolling grasses—and allow Maartje and family serve you a taste of the Netherlands on the North Dakota prairie.
