Trailer with $80K whipped cream stolen from Guelph business under police investigation

Police in Guelph investigate theft of refrigerated trailer loaded with $80,000 worth of Gay Lea whipped cream products

Police in Guelph, Ontario, are investigating the theft of a refrigerated trailer containing approximately $80,000 worth of whipped cream that was stolen earlier this week.

According to CBC News, the incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday near Speedvale Avenue West and Woolwich Street. The stolen Wabash trailer, which held 30 pallets of Gay Lea-branded whipped cream, was taken from the company’s facility at 21 Speedvale Avenue West.

Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey said investigators are still determining whether the suspect was targeting the trailer itself or the cargo inside. “We won’t know for sure what the motive was,” Tracey told CBC News. “Even if this person knew what was inside the trailer, the trailer in this case is valued at approximately $50,000 on its own.”

Robin Redstone, director of communications for Gay Lea Foods, confirmed that the trailer and its contents had been stolen and said the company is cooperating with police. “We are co-operating fully with law enforcement authorities and supporting their efforts to resolve the matter,” Redstone said.

Authorities noted that while southern Ontario has seen a string of butter thefts in recent years, this case appears unrelated. Between 2023 and 2024, several “large-scale” butter and ghee thefts were reported in Guelph, Brantford, and the Waterloo region.

Tracey added that unlike those incidents, which involved thieves targeting grocery stores, this theft may have been opportunistic. “We don’t know whether they were targeting it because of what the product was or if it just happened that they stole the trailer and ended up with $80,000 in whipped cream,” he explained.

Police are urging anyone with information to contact Constable Jonathan Schleen at 519-824-1212, extension 7570, or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).