French Snail Farm Announces Robbery of €90,000 Worth of Snails
Burglars made off with escargot worth €90,000 from a farm in northern France that provides for high-end restaurants.
The snail farm in Bouzy, close to the city of Reims, stated that its entire stock of fresh and frozen snails was stolen—a “major setback” just before the holiday season.
The thieves gained entry to the farm during the night leading to Monday, cutting a border fence before accessing farm buildings.
Law enforcement were notified later in the week, and investigators are currently pursuing leads.
In the meantime, the business is striving to replenish its supplies to satisfy end-of-year orders from clients.
Snails: A Traditional French Gourmet Treat
Edible snails are regarded as a culinary specialty in France, usually cooked in garlic butter or white wine before being removed from their shell.
Farmers in France often see a surge in demand during the month of December, as consumers indulge with the specialty for Christmas and New Year's Day celebrations.
“This is certainly not the type of announcement we thought we’d write as the festive season approach,” L'Escargot Des Grands Crus wrote in a statement announcing the theft.
The statement continued to characterize the robbery as “surprising, bewildering, and a serious setback to the entire team,” adding, “We are trying our best to restock our inventory to meet the needs of our customers for the holidays.”
Impact of the Robbery
Images taken after the theft show racks and refrigerators nearly completely emptied of escargot items.
“A whole section of prepared goods was stolen from the store, and raw material inventory from my production area,” the farm manager commented.
“This represented my holiday season inventory… We had just the right amount to manage the holidays without any worries.”
The farm has in the past provided restaurants such as award-winning restaurants in the region, as well as specialty food shops and individual customers.
Currently, the farm is working hard to recovering and ensuring that end-of-year demand can still be met in spite of the significant setback.