Information

Die Spens is open:

Monday through Thursday 10:00 to 17:30
Friday 10:00 to 20:00
Saturday 10:00 to 17:00

You can find us at the following address:

Ariane 38
3824MB Amersfoort
The Netherlands

(Just 2 streets further than our previous location.)

Yes, there is plenty of parking in our street. We in fact have four lovely parking spots right in front of our doors, so please don't be shy.

Sorry, we do not have the resources (manpower, products, time, etc.) to do this.
Most of the events are over a weekend when the shop is at its busiest. We are also unable to give out products on consignment for this purpose.

Yes, we do have a small budget, but as we get requests on almost a weekly basis,
and as we find it impossible to decide whom we should help and whom not, we are
rather donating to our own selection of charities in South Africa.

The postage & packaging cost is depended on the delivery country and the weight of the parcel.

You can work out the exact cost using our 'Price Calculator' found in the shopping basket.

Below you can see an indication of the minimum postage costs for each country.

(All costs are based on parcels up to 15kg except where indicated differently. All orders are posted using the Dutch postal service, PostNL, except where indicated differently. )

The Netherlands € 6.45 (up to 20kg)
Austria € 13.75 (DHL)
Belgium € 8.00
Bulgaria € 19.70 (DHL)
Czech Republic € 15.50 (DHL)
Denmark € 13.75
Estonia € 25.00
Finland € 17.50
France € 13.25
Germany € 9.50 (DHL)
Greece € 21.00 (DHL)
Hungary € 16.00 (DHL)
Ireland € 18.10 (DHL)
Italy € 14.50
Lithuania € 25.00
Luxembourg € 10.00
Malta € 25.00
Poland € 13.90 (DHL)
Portugal € 16.50 (DHL)
Romania € 16.00 (DHL)
Slovakia € 16.00 (DHL)
Spain € 17.50 (DHL)
Sweden € 17.50

Norway & Switzerland - as these countries fall outside the EU, postage starts off at a set rate and increases with each 2kg's added. The starting rate is: €24.75 up to 2kg.

(Please note we cannot post any meat products eg. Biltong, Chilli Bites etc to Switzerland.)

PLEASE SEE OUR NEWS SECTION FOR UPDATED RULES ON ORDERING FOR COLLECTION

Yes, you can order products for collection using the web shop. Simply pick the 'Pickup' option in your shopping basket. You can then select a day and time for the pick up. (The order has to be placed 24 hours in advance.) You can find the products that are only available in store (eg. boerewors, koeksisters) under the menu heading 'Only for collection.' Once you have placed your order you can then pay for your order using either IDEAL, bank transfer, Credit Card or in the shop upon pick-up.

You have 4 choices:

1. Bank transfer in advance - an order confirmation will be sent to your e-mail after ordering which will include our bank details. You can then do a (online) bank transfer of the amount owed to us. Once the payment is received we will post your parcel.

2. The Netherlands: iDEAL - a method of payment that enables you to pay online through your own bank using online banking. Please do note that we charge a small fee of 30c for this method. As the order is already paid we will post your parcel asap.

Belgium: Bancontact - a method of payment that enables you to pay online through your own bank using online banking. Please do note that we charge a small fee of 40c for this method. As the order is already paid we will post your parcel asap.

3. Credit Card - We accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro. All Credit Card fees are 1.75% of your order total.

4. PayPal on request. Please see the separate heading about paying with PayPal.

You have 3 choices:

1. Bank transfer in advance - an order confirmation will be sent to your e-mail after ordering which will include our bank details. You can then do a (online) bank transfer of the amount owed to us. Once the payment is received we will post your parcel. (If paying from a non-Euro bank account, make sure to select the option of 'paying all costs'. Shared bank costs will not be accepted.)

3. Credit Card - We accept Visa, Mastercard and Maestro. All Credit Card fees are 1.75% of your order total.

4. PayPal on request. Please see the separate heading about paying with PayPal.

We do offer PayPal on request. PayPal charges us a small fee to receive money which we pass on to our customers. For payments in Euro the fee is 3.5% plus 50ct. For payments in most other currencies the fee is 5.5% plus 50ct.

To pay using this method please order as follow:
- Choose 'Payment in advance' as your payment menthod
- In the comment section write: PayPal please - paying with ... (Fill in currency)

You will automatically receive a confirmation with our regular bank details. Ignore this email.

We will first check that we have all of the products in stock which you ordered. Once confirmed we will send a PayPal payment request for the amount of the total order plus the relevant fees. Please note that there could be a couple of days between placing the order and receiving the PayPal payment request.

Do not make a payment without a PayPal payment request.

For more info please contact us.

During these times of COVID-19 lockdown we are receiving a much higher volume of orders. This also means that it will take longer than usual for us to post your order. We aim to send your order out within 1 to 3 business days. (Unless an item is out of stock, in which case you will be informed. )

You will still receive updates about your order as usual and also a track and trace code once the order is posted.

Please note that the postal services are struggling and that there can be delays in receiving your parcel.

Normal operations:

Once the payment is received we send the parcel out within 24 hours (unless an item is out of stock, in which case you will be informed about the waiting time.)

All orders are sent with a Track & Trace number so you can follow your parcels progress.

Most of the time parcels within The Netherlands and Belgium are delivered the next day. Parcels to most parts of Germany take 1 to 2 days, other parts of Europe may take up to 5 days. Non EU countries can be subject to custom checks and take longer.

Products that cannot be posted are indicated on the website either as 'For Collection Only'/'Cannot be posted'.

The items we cannot post are items such as frozen goods eg. Koeksisters & Boerewors.

Due to breakages in the past we have discontinued the postage of some liquids, i.e Beer in bottles and wine. Liquor in cans however can be posted.

Please note that we are not allowed to post any meat products eg. Biltong, Droëwors and Chilli Bites to Switzerland.

So sorry to hear that the website is not working. Please let us know by email what the problem is so that we can fix it.

You can also send us your order via e-mail either by typing it out or sending us a screenshot of your order. Please include your name, address and telephone number in the e-mail.

Due to Covid-19 all the postal companies are super busy. This unfortunately means that there are a lot of delays with the postal service. For this reason we cannot guarantee that Biltong in paper bag - which has a limited shelf life, will get to our customers in time. Once the postal service goes back to it's normal self, we will start posting Biltong in paper bag again.

This really depends on how well you store your Biltong as it is a perishable product which requires proper handling and storage to prevent it from going off or forming mould. Keep in mind that Biltong is a meat product that has been 'dry preserved', but it is still a meat and should be treated as such. Here are some basic storage tips: - Keep in a dry, cool area. (Refrigeration is a good alternative.) - Keep out of direct sunlight and heat. - Keep in a paper bag or container. Do not use a plastic bag. - Keep the bag/container closed. - Wetter biltong should be shuffled a few times a day to let moisture escape. - Whole pieces of biltong should be kept in a brown bag or hung in well ventilated room. Consume within: - Freshly sliced Biltong in Paperbag should be consumed immediately or if kept in the correct cool, dry conditions within 2 days. - Whole pieces of Biltong in Paperbag can be kept no longer than 3 days in the fridge as this can start to grow mould (like cheese) if too wet or conditions in the fridge are not correct. - Vacuum packed Biltong can stay fresh for at least 3 months, as long as the packaging is intact and it was stored at a normal temperature. Once opened remove the Biltong from the plastic packaging. Consume immediately or store in paperbag. Do not keep it in the plastic packaging. Remember the warmer the storage temperature the shorter the shelf life. High humidity (which is common in The Netherlands) can also increase the risk of spoilage/mould.

If you find yourself with 'leftover' Biltong that you would love to enjoy at a later date you have 2 choices. 1. Vacuum pack the biltong 2. Freeze the biltong. This way you can keep the biltong for another few weeks or even months. Helpful tips to prevent this situation: - Not sure if you will be able to eat all the Biltong within 2 days? No problem. Order the same amount of Biltong, but simply select smaller packaging sizes. Eg. Instead of 1kg Biltong in Paper bag - order 200g Paper bag and 4x 200g Vacuum. This way you can easily open and eat the right amount of Biltong without having the rest spoil. We do our Biltong in 100, 200 and 500 gram sizes.

The humidity in the Netherlands and most of Europe is ALOT higher than what we are used to in South Africa. The more humid the more chance you have of the biltong going mouldy.

Sorry, we do not import direct and are dependent on our wholesalers.

No, we do not have a liquor license and may not sell "hard" liquor. We are only allowed to sell beer, wine and mixes. We do sell Klippies & Coke pre-mix bottles. (Only available in the shop.)

It is not allowed to import products containing ingredients of animal origin into the EU from South Africa.
Milk is the "big problem", not only are all SA chocolates off limits, but for example NikNaks has cheese powder containing milk.
Where possible we try and provide alternatives, our chocolates are sourced from the UK and even Australia.
Some factories such as The Ouma factory is kind enough to make special batches using approved milk from the EU to be exported again.

Unfortunately EU regulations do not allow this.

As it is very difficult to import exotic meats, our butchers use beef from the EU together with South African spices to make our tasty Biltong and Chilli Bites.