Nationally
Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer
Buys Tennessee "Cannabis Cave"
To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities
Fermo
Jaeckle is well-known in the dairy industry as a co-founder
of the Monroe, Wisconsin-based Roth Käse USA,
which has gained fame and many awards for its artisan cheeses.
So it's not surprising that some people were taken back recently
when Jaeckle purchased a Tennessee cave that
was at the center of an infamous marijuana growing operation.
The
cave, located 40 miles from Nashville, made headlines in 2005
after a Drug Enforcement Task Force researched and built a case
over a five year period of time prior to moving in to shut down
the illicit pot growing operation. It turns out that, concealed
under a million dollar vacation home, was the entrance to an
ancient, natural cave, housing a massive marijuana farm, with
high-tech lighting and climate-control systems to nurture over
1,000 hydroponically grown pot plants. Besides a massive growing
room, parts of which are 20 ft. high, the cave was also outfitted
with offices, a kitchen, bedrooms and restrooms. The Drug Enforcement
authorities say the owners of the cannabis cave had made millions
of dollars selling the pot over several years.
The
area Drug Task Force arrested the pot farmers and seized the
property. The house burned down some time later, under mysterious
circumstances. The house fire caused little damage to the complex
150 feet under it, however, and in December the Drug Task Force
auctioned off the property with the unique cave improvements
intact.
That's where Fermo Jaeckle came in. He heard about the auction
from his attorney, Rowland Lucid. Because Fermo?s brother Andre
lives in Tennessee they decided it might be great property for
legitimate agricultural use.
Tennessee
Cave
Jaeckle admits that he was surprised to hear that he
had made the winning bid. Now that he, his brother Andre,
along with their cousins Ulrich and Felix Roth,
and long time business associates, Steve McKeon and
Nella DiManno own the property, they are eager to utilize
the amazing improvements made to the cave by the previous owners,
and are evaluating multiple options. While some high-tech scenarios
are possible, other potential uses reflect time-honored agricultural
practices.
Caves,
with their constant temperature and absence of natural light,
have long been used in food production such as aging wine and
growing mushrooms. And, in the industry closest to Jaeckle's
heart, caves have traditionally been used to age cheese. For
example, the classic Gruyere cheese made by Roth Käse
USA in Wisconsin is aged to perfection in temperature-
and humidity-controlled curing cellars. For centuries this process
was often best done in caves.
While
Jaeckle and the other owners intend to form a partnership
with Roth Käse to distribute products
grown or processed at the Tennessee property, Roth Käse
does not own the cave property and will not move any of its
production to Tennessee.
The
owners are exploring how they might work with local Tennessee
agricultural concerns to create products for the marketplace
at this property. This approach reflects how Jaeckle
and others worked with a team of skilled cheesmakers, managers
and marketers to develop Roth Käse into
a leading maker of authentic cheeses. In addition, Roth
Käse's Wisconsin plant has become a tourist destination,
with a gift shop and self-guided tours through a specially constructed
observation gallery in the cheese production facility.
Jaeckle
and his partners see exciting possibilities for converting the
notorious pot cave into an agricultural and agri-tourism facility.
With the money they paid for the cave property going to support
drug enforcement programs, and with the prospect of creating
a productive agricultural enterprise, the owners are on their
way to transforming this former enterprise for “potheads"
into one for, ------ you guessed it.----- “Cheeseheads."