Neal's Yard Dairy says it has been "overwhelmed" with support after more than 22 tonnes of cheddar was stolen in an alleged scam.
The London-based cheese manufacturer said it delivered more than 950 wheels of cheddar - said to be worth £300,000 - to an alleged fraudster posing as a well-known wholesale distributor before realising it was an elaborate hoax.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has branded the theft “a brazen heist of epic proportions” and urged cheese enthusiasts to be on the look-out for “suspiciously large quantities of premium cheddar on the balck market”.
Neal’s Yard Dairy says it has been “truly touched” by a huge outpouring of support it has received.
"Clearly British people love their cheese,” Sarah Stewart, owner of the artisanal retailer, told The Times. “But we have had a lot of people getting in touch. It seems like it’s gone international.”
"Trade customers have been saying: ‘Can we pay quicker?' and 'what can we do?’
“We have three shops in London and a lot of our customers have come in really concerned and offering support, and then our e-commerce has seen an uplift in orders.
"We are trying to look forward and take heart from the incredible support and the interest it’s generated and people emailing super-nice messages. It’s overwhelming."
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it still paid Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork - the small-scale makers of the stolen cheese - so they would not have to bear the cost “despite the significant financial blow”.
The scam reportedly began in July, when someone posing as a well-known European cheese distributor emailed Neal's Yard Dairy expressing interest in 950 truckles - uncut wheels - of cheddar.
Over several months of correspondence, they impersonated the distributor, The Times reports, showing a good grasp of the industry.
A contract and payment terms were drawn up, and the fraudster reportedly arranged for a haulier to collect half of the large order of cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy's Bermondsey warehouse in late September.
The dairy reportedly arranged for the second half of the shipment to be delivered to a north London site.
The dairy was supposed to be paid within a week, but the payment did not arrive and attempts to contact the buyer were not answered.
It was only when it contacted the distributor the fraudster had been posing as - a major French retailer - that the scam became clear.
Scotland Yard has confirmed it is investigating the theft, after being alerted on October 21, but no arrests have yet been made.
Neal’s Yard Dairy has urged cheesemongers around the world to contact them if they suspect they have been sold the stolen cheese, particularly clothbound cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags removed.
If stored in the right conditions, the cheese could reportedly be kept for up to 18 months.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has asked his 10.5 million Instagram followers on social media to be alert for “lorryloads of posh cheese” being sold “for cheap”.
“There has been a great cheese robbery,” he said the in a post. “Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.”
He described it as a “real shame”, adding: “If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns.
“So if anyone hears anything about lorryloads of posh cheese, I mean I don’t know what they are going to do with it, really.
“Are they going to unpeel it from the cloth, and cut it and grate it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don’t know – it feels like a really weird thing to nick.”
The theft has prompted an outpouring of support from fans of Neal’s Yard Dairy, who have blasted the scammers on social media as “disgusting” and “contemptible”.
In a statement posted on its Instagram page, Neal’s Yard Dairy said: “To everyone who has rallied to support us in the last few days – thank you.
“Since sharing the news of our theft, we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It’s a reminder of why we love the work we do.
“Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, we say: continue to support British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse cheddar. Eat them. Celebrate them.
“We will be here, championing British and Irish cheese, for a long time to come.”
