Indiana’s first underground cheese cave in St. Joseph County

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY (WSBT) — A unique way to age cheese is happening in St. Joseph county, where Indiana’s first underground cheese cave is located.

A family-owned business called J2K Capraio handcrafts and ages varieties of both goat and cow milk cheese in the underground cave.

Each year, they age thousands of pounds of cheese, Joe Klinedinst is one of the owners overseeing the process.

In Walkerton, the family, we were fortunate enough to build through the help of different mentors throughout the country, but built Indiana’s first underground cheese cave. There we age between 20 and 25 thousand pounds of cheese per year in some years more, said Klinedinst.

The cave is naturally cooled, developing the rind and flavors of the cheese as it ages.

This process can take months or even years.

“In this underground cave it’s naturally cooled you’re getting the flavors of the earth and the natural terrar of our area and we’re able to do cheeses that are aged anywhere from 90 days all the way up to two to three years,” said Klinedinst.

It’s a slightly different process than how cheese is normally aged or made.

So this cave allows you to not have air being blown as in it’s not a walk-in cooler kind of situation, it’s just the natural temperature of the earth which is perfect for the cheese so it ages up more consistent a little bit slower, said Klinedinst.

The method creates a distinct taste in the cave-aged cheeses, retaining flavors from the natural terrain of the area, which is one of the reasons the family chose to build the cave.

And then you also pull the flavors, I know it sounds odd but from the walls in the earth, and as soon as you bite into a cheese that’s been aged in a cave or a different type of facility you know it as soon as you do, and that’s what led us to the cave, said Klinedinst.

The local family owned business has been selling their products in the South Bend area for 20-years.

They started at the South Bend Farmer’s market, but now operate the Artesian deli and cheese stop Oh Mamma’s on the Avenue where they sell these cave-aged cheeses in wheels, half wheels, or small blocks or wedges.