The great British cheese heist: Who stole $390,000 of cheddar? 

When art and scams come together, it’s usually paintings and sculptures that make the news. However, in a strange turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy, a distributor and retailer of British cheese based in London’s Borough Market has been defrauded of 300,000 pounds ($389,000) worth of award-winning, cloth-bound artisan cheese.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, 21 October, we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.”

Some of the cheese stolen has received numerous awards, including Westcombe cheddar, Hafod Welsh organic cheddar and Pitchfork cheddar, which are sold for as much as 45 pounds ($58) per kilogramme (2.2lb).

According to a statement from Neal’s Yard Dairy, “The high monetary value of these cheeses likely made them a particular target for the thieves.”

“The company is now taking steps  to ensure both its financial stability and the continued development of the British artisan cheese sector.”

The incident has caused alarm and upset among high-end foodies in the United Kingdom. The celebrity chef Jamie Oliver told his 10.5 million Instagram followers: “There has been a great cheese robbery. Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.”

Pitchfork cheeses on display at Borough Market in London [Shutterstock]

How did the cheese robbery happen?

A sophisticated scammer posed as the agent of a respected French distributor renowned in Europe’s cheese trade for organising major artisanal cheese events. After fooling Neal’s Yard Dairy into handing over the cheese, the thief made off with 950 cheddar wheels weighing 24 tonnes.

The fraudsters presented a meticulously crafted agreement, complete with comprehensive payment conditions, to Neal’s Yard. The supposed representative displayed an extensive knowledge of the industry, adding legitimacy to the ruse.

Patrick Holden, who owns the farm where Hafod cheddar is produced, told the BBC: “The robbers asked Neal’s Yard to dispatch it to another warehouse in or around London, from which it was then collected by these nefarious people, and then it disappeared, so they cleverly covered their tracks.”

“It might sound naive 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,” Holden said.

Tom Calver, a director of Westcombe Dairy, a supplier of high-quality cheese, told reporters: “We’re devastated that this fraud has targeted one of our most valued customers.”

Where is the cheese now?

No one can be sure where the cheese is now, but Holden told the BBC: “‘I think they’re hoping to sell it in the Middle East or Russia. That’s my guess.”

He explained that other countries where the producer already sells a large amount of Hafod cheese are not likely destinations. He added: “If they tried to sell it in North America, where we sell a lot of Hafod, or even Australia, believe it or not, the balloon would go up because people would ask questions.”

Neal’s Yard Dairy is requesting that other cheese distributors report any sightings of clothbound cheddar wheels weighing 10kg (22lb) or 24kg (53lb) with the tags detached to the police.

Cheese tags show the source of a cheese. If they have been removed, this may suggest the cheese is being sold on the black market, which is illegal.

What happens next?

The company is working with law enforcement agencies to identify the fraudsters. According to the authorities, no arrests have been made.

Neal’s Yard Dairy has honoured its payments to ensure the affected cheesemakers will not be left out of pocket.

“By sharing our experience, we hope to help protect the wider community of small producers and distributors, and to ensure the continued development of this vital and delicate sector. We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with industry groups, other distributors, and retailers to establish better safeguards in this area,” Neal’s Yard Dairy said in a statement