NetVleish is a family owned meat company established in 2018 by Vorster Gauche and his wife Hantie who come from a traditional South African Boer farming family. Now living on a small farm in northeastern British Columbia, they founded the business to preserve and share the authentic South African meat products and flavours they grew up with. The company specializes in biltong, droëwors, boerewors, and other specialty meat products, following traditional recipes and preparation methods passed down through generations. Its biltong is made from hand cut Canadian beef cured with vinegar, coriander, and a proprietary blend of spices, then slowly air dried to develop flavour and tenderness.
NetVleish also offers a variety of dried meat snacks, including chili and garlic droëwors and flavoured biltong sticks. The company emphasizes the care, time, and attention that go into preparing its products, advertising them as free of added nitrates and MSG, as well as gluten-free. While NetVleish caters to South Africans living in Canada who miss the flavours of home, it also aims to introduce Canadians to traditional South African meat products through its online store. This NetVleish biltong brand is distributed under the name NetVleish Meat Club Ltd and is based in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.
The first review of NetVleish will focus on a 3.5 ounce/100 gram bag of their Bobbas biltong. Bobbas is a slang Afrikaans expression that means the boss, the gold standard, or the best. This flavour is described as being cured with their signature traditional spice blend and sliced thin for ultimate grab-and-go convenience. The biltong was kindly submitted for review by Owner Vorster Gauche.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, French’s Worcestershire, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Spice, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Sugars (Brown Sugar), Citric Acid, Baking Soda, Spice Extractive, Cellulose (Mfg Aid). Allergen Warnings: Anchovies
The beef is sourced from local farms and ethically raised, meaning it is guaranteed to be free of growth hormones and additional antibiotics. The cattle have partial free range access to roam and graze on grass, as nature intended. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Very Good (9/10) rating.
The liquid marinade is comprised of French’s Worcestershire sauce and healthy distilled vinegar.
Some healthy ingredients added are spice extractives and spices, which include coriander.
The sugar level is excellent at 0 grams of sugar per 28 grams of biltong. The salt level is high at 570mg of salt per 28 grams of biltong to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of biltong.
This biltong does qualify to have no sodium nitrite. Instead, salt is the main preservative used, and distilled vinegar to a lesser degree. Admirably, this biltong does not qualify to have no MSG added, as the highly processed, cheap flavour enhancer hydrolyzed vegetable protein is used to lose a rating.
Decent (7/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
NETVLEISH – BOBAAS BILTONG
Written by guest biltong reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell next to nothing. The biltong looks just like most other biltong, in size, thickness, and hue. As with most biltong, there is a slight oily residue left on your fingers.
When I bite into the biltong, I taste vintage biltong, with a reasonably strong salt level, minimal sweetness, and while there may be no garlic in this biltong, I still believe I am tasting it. I also taste the coriander, this biltong tastes (like I said earlier) like vintage biltong. I am very much enjoying it, especially the fatty parts, which tend to exude a more intense flavour.
I can find absolutely nothing wrong with this biltong, it deserves a perfect 10/10. Gentlemen?
Here is what Mark had to say about this Bobbas biltong flavour from NetVleish: “Thanks Paul for the glowing taste review. I pretty much agree with everything stated. Yes, it has a classic biltong taste but a little more complex than your average biltong. You can mainly attribute that to the French’s Worcestershire sauce, which is an uncommon choice in my experience with biltong. The spice blend is very well balanced, which exudes that classic South African biltong taste.”
“The natural flavour of beef has no hint of tasting processed. As Paul mentioned, the fat in this biltong is a major plus as it accentuates the natural beef flavour to a fantastic level. I found this biltong to be very addictive, and I could not get enough. It tastes like more, one of our unofficial slogans. As with Paul, I cannot identify a single problem either. A slam dunk, no brainer unanimous Excellent (10/10) taste rating will be awarded. Take a bow NetVleish, a very enthusiastic two thumbs up!! 👍👍”
This 3.5 ounce/100 gram bag of biltong sells online for $13.00. That works out to $3.72 an ounce, which rates as a borderline cheap price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This resealable paper bag has labels affixed to the front and back. The NetVleish logo background displays a farm setting.
A slogan printed on this bag could be “Simply The Best Biltong by Far”. Some facts printed are “Keto”, “Carnivore”, “Paleo”, “High Protein”, “No MSG”, “No Nitrates”, “Gluten Free”, and “Bobaas Biltong”.
Some missing bag categories include French translations, a barcode, an establishment number, a Canada Department Agriculture (CDA) inspected logo, and a blurb describing this flavour or biltong. The bag has a QR code printed on the back.
Order their biltong online: www.netvleish.com www.netvleish.com/netvleish-meat-shop/bobaas-biltong-sliced (Currently only available in British Columbia)
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