More than 22 tons of cheese worth nearly $400,000 stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy

Neal’s Yard Dairy, an artisan cheese supplier in Britain, said it was the victim of a massive cheese theft in which more than 22 tonnes of cheddar were stolen from underneath them.

“We have difficult news to share. Neal’s Yard Dairy has been the victim of a theft that resulted in the loss of more than 22 tons of cloth-bound Cheddar,” the store shared on its Instagram page. As further explained, the theft was committed by a fraudulent buyer posing as a “legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer.”

The store supplied more than 950 wheels of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddar before discovering it was all a ruse. However, it added that “despite the significant financial hit, we have kept our promise to our small-scale suppliers and paid all three artisan cheesemakers in full.”

According to the BBCthe store usually sells the Hafod Welsh for £12.90 (about $16.72) for 300 grams, the Westcombe for £7.15 (about $9.27) for 250 grams, and the Pitchfork for £11 (about $14 .26) for 250 grams.

“The artisan cheese world is a place where trust is deeply embedded in all transactions,” says Patrick Holden, owner of the farm where Hafod cheddar is produced. shared in a statement. “It’s a world where your word is your bond. It may have caused a setback for the company, but the level of trust that exists within our small industry as a whole is in no small part due to the ethos of the founders of Neal’s Yard Dairy.”

Tom Calver from Westcombe Dairy added: “The amount of work that has gone into caring for the cows, emphasizing best farming practices and transforming the milk batch by batch to produce the best cheese possible is beyond compare. treasure.” He added: “And for that to be stolen is absolutely devastating.”

Even Jamie Oliver is involved in the case, posting on Instagram that the “quantity stolen is equivalent to the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, potentially leaving a significant gap in the artisan cheese market.” He added: “As the world’s most consumed cheese, the theft of Cheddar is impacting Neal’s Yard Dairy’s exports to 20 countries…Cheese lovers are advised to be wary of suspiciously large quantities of premium Cheddar on the black market . Remember: if the deal seems too golden to be true, it probably is! Let’s find these cheese stealers.”

Neal’s Yard Dairy noted in its message that it is working with law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators. “In the meantime, we would like to appeal to everyone within our esteemed community of cheesemongers around the world. If anyone is offered or receives cheeses that they believe may be linked to this theft, especially cloth-bound Cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg size pack with tags loose, please contact [email protected].”