French Snail Farm Reports Robbery of €90,000 Value of Snails
Burglars have stolen snails valued at €90,000 from a farm in northern France that supplies gourmet restaurants.
The snail farm in the Bouzy area, close to Reims, stated that its complete inventory of both fresh and frozen snails was taken—a “major setback” just before the holiday season.
The intruders gained entry to the property during the night leading to Monday, cutting a perimeter fence before entering storage facilities.
Law enforcement were notified later in the week, and officers are currently pursuing leads.
Meanwhile, the business is working to restock to satisfy holiday orders from clients.
Escargot: A French Gourmet Treat
Escargot are considered a culinary specialty in France, usually prepared in garlic butter or white wine before being extracted from their shells.
Producers in France often see a increase in sales around the month of December, as people treat themselves with the dish for Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
“This is certainly not the kind of post we expected we’d write as the festive season near,” L'Escargot Des Grands Crus wrote in a statement regarding the theft.
They continued to describe the robbery as “surprising, an incomprehension, and a real blow to the whole staff,” noting, “We are doing everything possible to restock our inventory to satisfy our clients for the holidays.”
Consequences of the Theft
Images captured after the theft show shelves and refrigerators nearly completely emptied of escargot items.
“A whole section of prepared goods was taken from the store, and raw material inventory from my production area,” the farm manager commented.
“This represented my holiday season inventory… We had precisely enough to manage the festive season without any worries.”
The farm has in the past provided establishments such as Michelin-starred venues in Reims, as well as specialty food shops and private clients.
At present, the farm is working hard to bouncing back and making sure that end-of-year orders can still be met in spite of the major loss.
