Cheese Maturation

Cheese, like wine, ages best in complete peace and quiet at high air humidity and balanced, low temperatures.

The room climate in earth-covered brick vaults is ideal for cheese ripening. It comes closest to cave ripening in natural rock. The brick is open to vapour diffusion, which means it ensures a constant high air humidity by absorbing excess moisture and giving it off again when the humidity drops.

Air can circulate freely in vaults. It is not trapped anywhere. Constant air circulation is guaranteed, meaning mould is avoided. The earth cover on top of the vault and air inlet through earth registers minimise temperature variations with little energy input. Further, earth-covered vaults can merge perfectly with the natural scenery and, thanks to the special stability of vaults, the area on top can be renaturated completely or even built on.

The clay bricks and marsh lime we recommend for plastering have a natural antiseptic effect. As a result, fewer aggressive chemicals are necessary to comply with strict hygiene regulations.

The use of sophisticated prefabricated elements keep construction time and costs within calculable limits. We have installed a large vault system with a total length of 130 metres in just five days. The cap vault with its vertical side walls and small-radius caps on top is especially ideal where storage capacities rising up high are needed. The barrel vault is used for smaller rooms and demonstration production areas; the two models can also be combined with each other.

And, of course, you shouldn't forget: cheese that has matured in a natural cellar simply tastes better!

Profit from our experience!
For large-scale projects we can, further to our own architects, fall back on the help of experienced engineering firms and partner companies.

Meaning you build effectively and economically to achieve the highest added value.