Representative image of cheddar cheese.
Credit: iStock Photo
In a unique yet shocking incident, 22 tonne cheddar cheese worth £300,000 was stolen from London's Neal Dairy. The robbers posed as wholesale distributors for a well-known French retailer.
The fraudsters managed to steal 950 wheels of the cheddar cheese before the dairy company could discover the scam related robbery.
The company said that despite the huge financial loss, it will pay its three small-scale producers - Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork.
The three producers had made the cheese and provided it to the dairy company.
According to a report by The Metro, the Metropolitan Police said, "On October 21 we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances."
Police also said that no arrests have been made so far in the theft.
Calling it a 'great cheese robbery', British chef Jamie Oliver spoke about the cheese theft on Instagram.
He wrote, "In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a brazen heist of epic proportions. A staggering 22 tonnes of premium Cheddar, worth £300,000, have vanished, leaving the cheese world reeling."
"Thieves, posing as a wholesale supplier to a French retailer, duped Neal’s Yard Dairy’s London warehouse staff. The precious cargo of valuable artisanal Cheddar was sent out in good faith, only to disappear without a trace."
He further said, "Neal’s Yard Dairy, known for their 45-year legacy of championing British cheese, has already paid the £300,000 owed to the cheesemakers for the stolen goods. This act showcases the company’s commitment to their partners, even in adversity."
The Neal’s Yard Dairy too shared the news of the robbery on the same social media platform.
It wrote, "We have some difficult news to share. Neal's Yard Dairy has been the victim of a theft resulting in the loss of over 22 tonnes of clothbound Cheddar. The theft involved a fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer."
"Over 950 wheels of Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork Cheddar were delivered before the fraud was discovered. Despite the significant financial blow, we have honoured our commitment to our small-scale suppliers and paid all three artisan cheesemakers in full."
The dairy company urged cheese mongers around the world to contact them if they get suspicious of the cheese being sold to them.
The Instagram post further read, "We are currently working with law enforcement authorities to identify the perpetrators of this fraud. In the meantime, we would like to put out a call to everyone within our esteemed community of cheesemongers around the world. If anyone is offered or receives cheeses they believe may have been associated with this theft, particularly clothbound Cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags detached, please contact info@nealsyarddairy.co.uk so we can support the police in their investigation."