An urgent search to find a gang of cheese fraudsters who stole £300,000 worth of premium cheddar cheese from the iconic cheese company. London Dairy work is underway.
Neal’s Yard Dairy mistakenly sent 950 wheels to scammers posing as legitimate wholesale distributors in an elaborate scam dubbed ‘The Grate Cheese Robbery’.
The London-based cheese company said it was ‘overwhelmed’ with messages of support, offers of financial support and cheese orders from as far away as the US and Canada. germany After more than 22 tonnes of the world’s best cheddar cheese was stolen.
Cheese lovers around the world are outraged by the celebrity chef’s calculated robbery. Jamie Oliver We are leading the fight to find justice for dairy farming.
Describing the four-month scam as ‘the Great Cheese Robbery’, he said: ‘In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has become the victim of a brazen robbery on a grand scale.’
Neal’s Yard Dairy mistakenly sent 950 wheels to a scammer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor.
Cheese company owner Sarah Stewart (pictured) said she had been ‘overwhelmed’ with the support.
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it was ‘genuinely touched’ by the support following the elaborate scam.
Sarah Stewart, retail store owner, said: times: ‘Obviously the British love their cheese, but we’ve had so many amazing people contact us that it seems to have gone international.
She added: ‘Trade customers are saying: “Can we pay you faster?” and “What can we do?”
‘We have three stores in London and we have had a lot of customers who are interested and supportive and we have seen an increase in e-commerce orders.
‘We’re trying to look forward and take heart from the tremendous support, the interest it’s generating and the people who are emailing us really nice messages. It’s overwhelming.’
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it still paid cheese producers Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork despite a ‘significant financial hit’.
The scam is said to have first started in July when someone posing as a well-known European cheese distributor requested approximately 950 truckloads (uncut wheels) of cheddar cheese.
Over the next several months, the individual appeared to display a high level of knowledge of the industry by posing as a distributor.
The Times reported that a contract was struck and the fraudster arranged for a haulier to collect half the cheese ordered from Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Bermondsey warehouse in September.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver condemned the alleged scammer on his Instagram Story last week. He called the incident the ‘Grate Cheese Robbery’.
Jamie asked for help tracking down the fraudsters responsible for the cheese scam.
The second half of the order was due to be delivered to North London.
Fears began to grow when the dairy company did not receive the agreed upon payment within a week. When Neal’s Yard Dairy attempted to contact them, the buyer stopped responding.
They then contacted the legitimate distributor they believed had placed the order, and soon realized they had been scammed.
Police are currently investigating the theft, but no arrests have been made so far.
Neal’s Yard Dairy has asked cheese lovers to contact them if they suspect they have received stolen cheese, which it describes as cloth-bound cheddar in 10kg or 24kg format with tags removed.
Cheese can be stored for up to 18 months when stored at the appropriate temperature and conditions.
Chef Jamie Oliver shared the scam with his 10.5 million Instagram followers to help encourage more information.
‘There was a big cheese robbery,’ he said. ‘Some of the world’s best cheddar cheese has been stolen.’
He described it as ‘a real shame’ and added: ‘If you hear someone talking about fancy cheese being sold cheaply, that’s probably wrong.
‘So when you hear someone talk about a truck full of gourmet cheese, you don’t know what they’re going to do with it.
‘Are they going to peel them out of the fabric, cut them, grind them and remove them from the fast food industry, the commercial industry? I don’t know I think it’s a really strange thing to get scratched.’
In a statement posted to its Instagram page on Sunday, Neal’s Yard Dairy said: ‘Thank you to everyone who has come together to support us over the past few days.
‘Since we broke the news of the theft we have received a huge number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly touched that the artisan cheese community and so many others are standing with us. It reminds us why we love what we do.
‘Many people have asked how they can help. In response, we say we continue to support British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse cheddars. Eat. Celebrate them.
‘We will be here championing British and Irish cheese for a long time to come.’
A spokesperson for The Met said: ‘On Monday 21 October we received reports that a quantity of cheese had been stolen from a Southwark-based manufacturer.
‘An investigation into the situation is ongoing.’
