This study aimed to assess the effects of ripening at refrigeration and ambient temperatures on physic-chemical and microbiological parameters of artisanal Minas cheeses (made from raw milk) and to model the kinetics of lactic acid bacteria – , Escherichia coli – , and coagulase-positive staphylococci – along the ripening. Cheese pH, acidity, and moisture, fat, and protein contents were quantified, as well as , , and concentrations. Richards and simplified Lotka-Volterra models were used to describe the microbial kinetic data. The fits were assessed by statistical indices, and the Monte-Carlo method was applied to identifiability analysis. Cheese moisture was reduced along the ripening, increasing protein concentration and acidity values. Cheese pH showed a reduction followed by an increase. concentration increased to the stationary phase after a few days; and concentrations increased and then decreased due to interactions with and low moisture content. Mathematical models successfully described the kinetics of , , and in cheese throughout ripening. Most parameters were not correlated to each other and were estimated with narrow confidence intervals.