Neal’s Yard Dairy, a London-based specialist cheese shop, has fallen victim to a fraud resulting in the theft of more than 22 tonnes of its high-value cheddar, worth over £300,000. Fraudsters posed as legitimate wholesalers to receive 950 clothbound cheddar cheeses from the company, before it was discovered they were not genuine. The cheeses included artisan Welsh Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork, all of which are award winners and high in monetary value. Neal’s Yard Dairy paid the producers of the cheese so they would not incur the costs.
Westcombe Dairy’s maturing cave, which contains a cheddar-turning robot, nicknamed Tina the Turner, was one of the victims. A degree of trust represented the small amount of transactions in the artisan cheese world. It is terrible that all the work that has gone into producing the best possible cheese has been stolen. The police are now investigating the large quantity of cheese that has been stolen.
According to the BBC, £12.90 for a 300g piece and £7.15 for 250g of Westcombe cost £11 for 250g of Pitchfork, and are some of the most expensive British cheddar brands. Those stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy have completed their three-year maturation, which involves almost 36 months of cheddar turning, according to the BBC.
The police have confirmed the theft of a large quantity of cheese and an investigation is underway. Neal’s Yard Dairy is said to be dealing with the setback, and the small artisan cheese industry continues to rely on trust between its members
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
