The Best Cheese In The U.S. Comes From A Cave In Minnesota

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This cheese was just voted the best in the entire country, and it comes from a cave here in Minnesota.

I'll confess right now that I'm a big-time cheese-lover. I'm guessing it's because I was born and raised in Wisconsin-- America's Dairyland, mind you-- but I LOVE me some cheese. Doesn't matter what kind, I love it-- and the more the better.

So when I read about another cheese that was just awarded another national honor from here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I was intrigued. And it turns out, this cheese is just one of many that are aged in a cave in a small town in southern Minnesota.

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If you've never heard of this mysterious Minnesota cave, it's a part of Prairie Farms' Cave of Faribault Cheese Plant in Faribault, Minnesota (a little under an hour south of the Twin Cities, just off I-35.) And it's one of the most unique cave-aged cheese operations in the world.

The Caves of Faribault have a history that dates way back to the late 1800s, and were first constructed to help brew beer (another one of my favorite things!):

Located on a tall sandstone bluff overlooking the Straight River in the small town of Faribault, The Caves of Faribault natural sandstone caves were carved in the 1850s into the St. Peter’s sandstone that formed in the last glacial age. This sandstone allows water to travel both horizontally and vertically and has a natural capacity for absorbing ammonia, making it ideal for affinage — the ancient art of maturing and aging cheese.

And now, some brand-new cheeses that have been aged in those way-cool caves have just been called the best in the U.S. at a recent meeting of the  According to results from the 2023 National Milk Producers Federation Cheese and Yogurt Contest, the Caves of Faribault took home four national awards.

Their new 44° North Natural Rind Swiss won the Chairman's Award as well as a first-place award, even though it's not in stores yet. (It's set to be released in 2024.) Caves of Faribault’s Pasteurized Blue Cheese won the contest’s Best Italian Award and first place in the Hard and Mold Ripened Italian category, a release on their website noted.

So, from this Wisconsinite cheesehead, a big shout-out to some award-winning Minnesota cheese! And speaking of Wisconsinites, did you know there are certain things every person from the Dairy State thinks about Minnesota? Keep scrolling to see what they are...

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