More than 950 wheels of cheddar equivalent to $390,000 were swiped from an artisan cheese retailer in London, they reported to authorities on Monday.
A scammer impersonating a wholesale dealer for a “major French retailer” conned Neal’s Yard Dairy into sending 48,488 pounds or over 21,993 kg of high-value cheddar: Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork cheddars, before being found out.
“Despite the significant financial blow, we have honoured our commitment to our small-scale suppliers and paid all three artisan cheesemakers in full,” Neal’s Yard Dairy said in a statement.
One director of Westcombe Dairy, Tom Calver, said the cheesemaking process was laborious work and it was devastating that these were stolen.
“The amount of work that’s gone into nurturing the cows, emphasizing best farming practice, and transforming the milk one batch at a time to produce the best possible cheese is beyond estimation,” he said. “And for that to be stolen… it’s absolutely terrible.”
Neal’s Yard Dairy has called for cheesemongers to keep an eye out for their lost cheeses, especially cloth-wrapped cheddars in 10 kg or 24kg and with removed tags.
