Insight and Expertise In The Cheese Making Community

Behind every great creamery is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese...or should we say behind every great counter there is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese! In our third installment of this series, we introduce you to Cheesemonger Ike Wagner.

Behind every great creamery is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese...or should we say behind every great counter there is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese!  In our second installment of this series, we introduce you to Cheesemonger Jennilyn Marshall.

Recently, we had the pleasure of collaborating with J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines at Minnesota Monthly’s 10th Annual Grillfest! We could not wait to bring some excellent wine and cheese pairings to our local Minnesota fan base, and we must say, these pairings went over incredibly well!

Behind every great creamery is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese...or should we say behind every great counter there is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese! We adore the cheesemongers that represent our brand and want to take the time to introduce you to some local, Minnesota mongers.

For all you American cheese lovers out there, we are here to tell you that May is #americancheesemonth. You may be asking, what exactly is American Cheese Month? Well, American Cheese Month is a grassroots celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses, and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers and chefs who bring them to your table.

With April showers signifying the start of spring, we are getting excited about the springtime veggies about to pop up at grocery stores and farmer’s markets. Though we love a winter roasted root vegetable as much as the next, our recipe ingredients are getting a bit stale and need a change-up. Here are some of our favorite springtime recipes and some tips on how to incorporate your favorite Caves of Faribault cheeses into your meals.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - cheese loves beer. With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite pairings using Irish (or Irish-inspired) beers*. We suggest grabbing a few friends when tasting these pairings or they’ll be green with envy that they missed out.

You’ve got the chocolate, but this year, consider skipping the stereotypical bouquet of roses or stuffed animal and instead fly like Cupid to your favorite cheese counter for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift!  Nothing says “I love you” like a cheese board paired with chocolatey treats.  To help you make your way through the candy aisle and cheese counter, here are some suggestions that will make your sweetie swoon.

In 2001, Jeff Jirik revitalized cheesemaking in our sandstone caves in Faribault, MN. Just like the original founder and cheesemaker, Felix Frederiksen, Jirik knew the importance of continuing the tradition of handcrafting and cave-aging cheese in these legendary sandstone caves. He concentrated on making award-winning Blue cheese, yet always knew that these caves had extraordinary potential for aging cheese. In 2009, he began collaborating with his friends in cheese to create a one-of-a-kind affinage program. This affinage program has been wildly successful, thanks to our affinage team, our sandstone caves, our partners and the support of the artisan cheese community.

Making award-winning Blue cheese is always our priority, but at Caves of Faribault, we take time to focus on our workforce and our community as well. A dedicated group of employees, aptly dubbed the “Caves Fun Committee,” (or the “CFC” as we like to call it) makes sure these important aspects are not forgotten, designing activities and events that infuse fun and purpose into the regular work day.