The British cheese retailer experienced a loss of 950 cheese wheels, or almost $400,000 of inventory. It’s also asking those in and outside of the cheese industry for help.
10/31 Update: A suspect has been arrested in relation to the cheese heist, according to an Instagram post by Neal’s Yard Dairy. NBC News reports that the suspect is a 63-year-old man.
U.K. artisanal cheese retailer Neal’s Yard Dairy fell victim to a sophisticated scam. The result was the loss of more than $380,000 of clothbound cheddar, including the retailer’s award-winning Hafod cheddar, Westcombe cheddar, and Pitchfork cheddar.
According to a news release from Neal’s Yard Dairy, the theft involved a “fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer, with the cheese delivered before the discovery of the fraudulent identity.” Neal’s Yard Dairy has also paid the makers of the artisanal cheeses in full.
The total loss of 950 cheese wheels—about 48,500 pounds of cheese—has dealt a financial blow to Neal’s Yard Dairy that the retailer is currently addressing. Neal Yard Dairy speculates that the award-winning nature and “high monetary value” of the artisan cheeses made the company a target for the robbers.
“It might sound naïve to fall victim to a scam, but the truth is that the artisan cheese world is a place where trust is deeply embedded in all transactions,” said Patrick Holden of Holden Farm Dairy, the farm where Hafod is produced. “The breach of trust by this fraudulent customer is a violation of the atmosphere of good faith and respect that all of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s trading relationships have personified over the years. It’s a world where one’s word is one’s bond. It might have caused the company a setback, but the degree of trust that exists within our small industry as a whole is due in no small part to the ethos of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s founders.”
Neal’s Yard Dairy is working with London police and international authorities to identify and apprehend the thieves. The news release states: “While the cheese may never be recovered, our priority is to share openly what has happened and to prevent it from happening to other businesses.”
Members of the cheese industry can help Neal’s Yard Dairy by contacting the retailer if offered any suspicious deals, especially ones pertaining to untagged clothbound cheddars. Cheese lovers are encouraged help by continuing to purchase British and Irish cheeses, according to an Instagram post by Neal’s Yard Dairy.
For more information, contact info@nealsyarddairy.co.uk.
Alana Pedalino
Alana Pedalino's work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Bon Appétit, and The Buffalo News. She's currently serving as culture's social media manager. She loves to write poetry, eat spaghetti carbonara, and kayak. Follow her @APstyle on X. Read more by her here: https://alanapedalino.com/#/.
