If you thought cheese was expensive here in The States, imagine having to protect it from thieves who show up in the middle of the night to steal it.
That's exactly what's been happening for decades in Italy, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.
According to the story, the most recent theft involved a small producer of Parmigiano-Reggiano who arrived at work to find 271 wheels of Parmesan (roughly 25,000 pounds) missing.
"Over the past six years, the 330 certified makers of Parmigiano have suffered 94 thefts of their delicacy, according to the consortium that represents Parmigiano producers," reported The Wall Street Journal.
Some Italian cheese producers have turned to a local bank that owns a cheese warehouse to help protect their cheese, according to the story. Considered to be the Fort Knox for cheese, the warehouse can hold 300,000 wheels of cheese, features a comprehensive security system, barbed-wire fence, motion sensors, lights, roving patrols and more than a dozen cameras with a continuously manned control center, according to the article.
Stories like these make us appreciate the work and time that goes into making Parmigiano-Reggiano even more.
