Impostors stole thousands of pounds of fancy cheddar, sending shockwaves through the British cheese world.

Britain’s artisanal cheese community is reeling from what it calls the “grand” (or “lattice”) cheese heist 2024 after impostors stole tens of thousands of pounds of high-priced cheddar from a major distributor.

London-based retailer and cheese manufacturer Neal’s Yard Dairy. announced last week that he was “the victim of a sophisticated fraud that resulted in the loss of over £300,000 worth of cloth-bound cheddar” – the equivalent of over $389,000.

“The theft involved a fraudster posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer, with the cheese being delivered before the identity of the fraudster was discovered,” the company said.

The thieves made off with 950 wheels—more than 22 metric tons, or approximately 48,500 pounds—of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork cheddar. he added. The wheels were sourced from three different suppliers in England and Wales.

“These cheeses have won numerous awards and are among the most sought-after artisan cheeses in the UK,” Neal’s Yard Dairy said. “The high monetary value of these cheeses likely made them a particular target for thieves.”

The crime has profound consequences: Cheddar, originally from the village of the same name in Somerset, England, is best selling cheese in the UK and is a major source national pride.

Celebrity British chef Jamie Oliver explained in an interview video from instagram that there are “only a small handful of true cheddar cheese producers in the world” and that is where the stolen cheese came from. He called it “a real shame.”

“I anticipate this will slow down Neal’s Yard’s ability to support all of its cheesemakers over the next five years,” Oliver said.

Neal’s Yard Dairy took on the costs of the crime, having already paid the artisan cheesemakers in full. The company says it is now taking steps to ensure its own financial stability and the “continued development of the UK artisan cheese sector”.

He is also working with local law enforcement and international authorities to try to track down those responsible.

“While the cheese may never be returned, our priority is to be open about what happened and prevent it from happening to other businesses,” the statement said.

But some community members hope it’s not too late to find some cheese – if the cheddar vigilantes are willing to look for it.

How cheese lovers can help

The identities of the cheese thieves are still unknown.

Tom Culver and Westcombe cheese maker say they were led to believe they were shipping their products to France through Neal’s Yard Dairy.

“These guys… were essentially posing as a wholesaler-buyer, a fairly large retailer in France,” he said in an interview. video from instagramshowing a row of empty shelves and noting he wrote excitedly about an order for 10 tons just a few weeks ago. “It was a hoax, it was theft, it was fraud. I mean, it’s crazy.

Patrick Holden, whose Welsh cheddar Hafod was stolen, told the BBC that the robbers asked Neal’s Yard to send the cheese to a warehouse in London, then took it and disappeared. He believes they might try to sell it in the Middle East or Russia “because people won’t ask questions there.”

“I think if they tried to sell it closer to home, they would have a hard time,” he said, citing North America and Australia as examples. “Because the international craft community is very interconnected.”

All cheesemakers issued statements thanking Neal’s Yard Dairy for the honor of the sale and praising the company’s response as an example of the trust and integrity that exists in a small industry.

To this end, Neal’s Yard Dairy is asking its “respected community of cheese merchants around the world” to keep an eye out for cheese and contact them if they are offered or received any suspicious offers, especially clothbound cheddars of certain weights (10kg and 10kg) . 24 kg) with tags removed.

Culver reinforced this request in an Instagram video.

“If you see or know anyone in Europe or around the world that there is cloth-bound raw milk cheddar being sold cheap, can you let us know?” – he said. “Because we can potentially trace it – hopefully, maybe, I don’t know – and we can hope to work with the police to try to find out who the culprits are and help Neil’s Yard in some way in finding the cheese. ”

Oliver told his more than 10 million Instagram followers that “if anyone is hearing anything about fancy cheese being sold on the cheap, it’s probably the wrong people.”

“Remember: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!” he wrote in the caption.

Oliver also wondered aloud what the thieves planned to do with their high-profile loot.

“Are they going to, for example, peel the cloth, then cut the peel off, grate it and dispose of it in the fast food industry or in the commercial industry?” he asked.

IN update on social networks Neal’s Yard Dairy said in a statement on Sunday that it had received a “massive number” of calls, messages and visits from supporters since the theft was announced.

And it provided an answer to many cheese lovers who asked how they could help.

“Continue to support British and Irish cheese,” it said. “Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse Cheddar. Eat them. Celebrate them.”