Tour the Caves
Legend holds that the first blue cheese was born in the natural caves of France where ideal humidity and temperature conditions allowed native blue green molds to flourish. That tradition lives on at Faribault Dairy Company, where every hand made batch of award winning Amablu® and St. Pete’s Select™ blue cheese is aged in sandstone caves carved from the river bluffs overlooking Faribault, MN.
The atmosphere within the caves is ideally suited for the curing and aging of blue cheese.
The origin of St. Peter sandstone goes back to the last glacial age. St. Peter sandstone is the beach sand deposit from the glacier’s retreat. Found only in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and northern Missouri; St. Peter sandstone is uniquely qualified for ageing food. In 1854 Gottfried and Ernst Fleckenstein used the caves to brew and age beer. When Prohibition closed the brewery the plant saw various uses, including use as a furniture shop. In December 1936, Mr. Felix Frederickson purchased the caves and began making blue cheese. He named his company Treasure Cave, Inc.
The combination of Mr. Frederickson’s technical knowledge of fine cheese and the caves’ ideal climate allowed him to create blue cheese that became a favorite of connoisseurs worldwide.
Today, Faribault Dairy is the only U.S. cheese maker to still cure and age its blue cheese exclusively in caves. This traditional process allows Amablu® and St. Pete’s Select™ blue cheeses to distinguish themselves with a complex, complicated yet delightfully intimate flavor™.
The dedicated employees of Faribault Dairy Company realize you can’t rush premium blue cheese, ageing it well beyond industry standards to ensure full flavor. They believe the unique caves allow them to work with nature to create a truly legendary cheese that will enhance any meal or snack tray and delightfully complement fine wine or beers.
