Police Hunt for 22 Tons of Cheddar Worth $390,000 in ‘Grated Cheese Heist’

Jamie Oliver told his Instagram followers to watch out for large quantities of premium cheddar on the black market: “If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!”

High-end art and jewelry thefts are often in the news, but what about an artisanal cheddar heist?

Top British cheese company Neal’s Yard Dairy It revealed that nearly $400,000 in handmade cheddar was stolen in a sophisticated scam dubbed the “Grated Cheese Heist.”

“We have some difficult news to share,” the beleaguered company wrote. Instagram post from five days ago.

The post claimed that the supplier of British and Irish cheeses was the victim of a theft, resulting in the loss of “over 22 tonnes of fabric-covered Cheddar cheese”.

“A fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor of a major French retailer” allegedly stole the cheese, according to the post.

“Over 950 wheels of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddar were delivered before the fraud was discovered,” the post said.

famous chef Jamie Oliver shared on Instagram Condemning the theft, he urges his 10.5 million followers to be on the lookout for “lorryloads of luxury cheese” which he says are worth £300,000 or $390,000.

According to Oliver’s post, “The Big Cheese Con Thieves” pretended to be a wholesale supplier to a French supermarket and “deceived Neal’s Yard Dairy’s warehouse staff in London.”

“The valuable cargo of artisanal Cheddar was sent in good faith, but disappeared without a trace,” Oliver wrote.

Neal’s Yard Dairy said it received its cheese order in July. New York Times reports.

Because the order was so large, the company reached out to three dairy farms to fulfill the order. New York Times.

David Lockwood, one of the partners of the company, said that Neal’s Yard Dairy sent the cheese to the supplier in September, ending the agreement, and the supplier had to pay by October 7. New York Times.

When the payment deadline arrived and disappeared with no word from the supplier, Neal’s Yard Dairy attempted to contact the supplier, but the supplier “became uncontactable,” Lockwood said. New York Times.

The company informed the London police, who were investigating, on October 21.

Neal’s Yard Dairy made sure to pay dairy farmers and cheesemakers for stolen cheese; But Oliver says it will take years to recoup that loss.

“Despite the significant financial hit, we honored our commitment to our small-scale suppliers and paid all three artisanal cheesemakers in full,” the company said in the post.

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The amount stolen is equal to the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, potentially creating a significant gap in the specialty cheese market.

The company works with law enforcement to identify cheese thieves.

“In the meantime, we would like to extend a shout-out to everyone in our respected community of cheesemongers around the world,” he wrote in the post.

“If cheeses believed to be associated with this theft are offered or received, particularly fabric-covered Cheddars with labels removed in 10kg or 24kg format, please contact [email protected] so we can support police with their investigation.”

As the police continue to find the stolen cheese, Lockwood can’t believe this is even happening.

“It would make a great action comedy,” he said New York Times. “Maybe we can sell the rights and get some of the money back.”