Small-scale dairy farmers in African rural communities might fail to invest in cheese making process due to limited resources to acquire temperature and humidity controlled aging chambers. The study evaluated the effect of different aging conditions on physicochemical and textural characteristics of an artisanal hard-pressed cheese during ripening. The cheeses were manufactured in summer in 2 different farms using raw milk. Aging was conducted for 60 d using either a temperature and humidity controlled chamber (control: 10–12°C, humidity 80–90%) or a traditional simulation using portable air conditioner and humidifier. Data were analyzed using a factorial arrangement of treatments with age and chamber, and their interaction, as fixed factors and farm as a random factor. The portable systems created a chamber at 18°C and 60–70% humidity. Cheese moisture, fat, pH, water activity, and non-protein nitrogen (N) were reduced during ripening (P < 0.05). The ripening index [soluble N/Total N%] was higher in the control (6.4 ± 0.38 vs 5.6 ± 0.38; P < 0.05) compared with the traditional chamber (TC). The control yielded cheeses with higher (P < 0.05) moisture% (34.05 ± 0.65) and water activity (0.96 ± 0.002). Compared with the TC, the control had lower (P < 0.05) values for total solids (65.9 ± 0.63 vs 69.9 ± 0.63), protein% (25.6 ± 0.15 vs 27.6 ± 0.15) and ash% (3.44 ± 0.11 vs 3.70 ± 0.11). Neither chamber showed differences in cheeses textural properties (chewiness, springiness, cohesiveness, and hardness) and color. There were interactions between the aging chamber and ripening age; ash% (4.00 ± 0.12), protein% (27.7 ± 0.21), fat% (34.1 ± 1.35), hardness (149.67 ± 30.72), and chewiness (463.67 ± 15.15) were higher (P < 0.05) at d 60 in the traditional chamber. The results show that the traditional chamber could be ideal for on-farm cheese ripening, yielding good quality cheese for resource limited cheese producers. This study forms a baseline for the development of cheese production at an artisanal level for small-scale farmers in South Africa based on their environmental conditions and resources.