Cheddar heist: Neal's Yard Dairy hit by £300k cheese scam
The company Neal’s Yard Dairy, which sells artisanal cheeses, delivered 24 tonnes of cheddar worth £300,000 to a fraudster posing as a French distributor but did not receive payment for the goods. The newspaper "The Times" speculates whether the crime might have been orchestrated by a gang aiming to smuggle cheese into Russia, evading sanctions.
![Neal’s Yard Dairy company handed over 22 tonnes of cheddar worth £300,000 to a fraudster [illustrative photo]](https://v.wpimg.pl/ZDVkNzcydSU3CThJTAJ4MHRRbBMKW3ZmI0l0WExPaH0uWHtOTB8zKDMZKwoMVz02IxsvDRNXKih5Cj4TTA9razICPQoPGCNrMwYsHwdWOCZjXCpOVxh3J2EJL1dXH2sme1IsQ1VUP3dgUypPB05tdjUNbAc)
27 October 2024 08:28
Neal’s Yard received the order from the fraudster via email. Later, the company's employees contacted him by phone. The man reportedly spoke with a French accent and possessed expert knowledge about cheese, according to the British newspaper.
On Friday, "The Guardian" reported that the case has caused a stir in the cheesemaking community.
Betrayal of trust by a deceitful client violates the atmosphere of trust and respect. In the world of cheese-making, a word is more valuable than money, said Patrick Holden, owner of the Hafod cheddar-producing farm, as quoted by the newspaper.
His products were part of the stolen batch of 950 cheeses. In retail, prices for a 250–280 g piece range between £7 and £12. Neal’s Yard Dairy stated that despite the financial losses, they paid the supplier for the purchased cheese.
"The Times" reported that the London police have launched an investigation into the matter. No arrests have been made so far.
As the newspaper indicates, no one knows for sure who the fraudster might be, but among cheesemakers, there are rumours that he might have been part of a gang smuggling European food into Russia.
According to the newspaper, there is a high demand for luxury food in Russia because there are no legal ways to obtain it. Sarah Stewart, co-owner of Neal’s Yard, said in an interview, "I have no idea if that’s what happened to our cheese. "
In 2014, Russia banned the import of certain food products from the EU in response to the community's sanctions for the annexation of Crimea, but this did not eliminate the demand for imported food, "The Times" reports.
