Clear terms for ordering food from Biedouw Shop and Umami Chicken.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

This shop is operated under the names Biedouw Shop and Umami Chicken (“Biedouw”, “Umami”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). We sell food products including pasture-raised chicken and chicken portions, lamb products, bone broth, rooibos tea, and related products to retail and approved wholesale customers in South Africa.

2. Acceptance and eligibility

By creating an account, placing an order, requesting a quote, or using the website, you agree to the policy version shown above. You must be at least 18 years old and have legal capacity to contract. If you order for a business, you confirm that you have authority to bind that business.

3. Accounts and account security

• You must give accurate, current, and complete contact, delivery, tax, and account information.
• You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for activity performed through your account.
• Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access or if your delivery details change.
• Retail and wholesaler account types may have different prices. Wholesale access or pricing may be corrected, suspended, or withdrawn if applied incorrectly or misused.
• We may suspend an account where reasonably necessary to address fraud, abuse, security risk, unlawful conduct, or material breach of these terms.

4. Product information and variable-weight goods

We take reasonable care with product names, descriptions, photographs, availability, estimated pack weights, and prices. Natural food products vary. Product photographs are illustrative, and appearance, cut size, colour, packaging, and actual weight may differ.

Many products are priced per kilogram. The basket and quote may use an average or estimated weight. The final invoice is calculated from the actual packed or scanned weight, multiplied by the applicable saved price per kilogram, together with delivery fees, discounts, and taxes shown on the invoice. The final amount can therefore be higher or lower than the estimate.

5. Availability, quotes, and order acceptance

• Adding an item to a basket does not reserve it. Stock is reserved when the order is successfully submitted, subject to system confirmation.
• An automatically generated quote is an estimate and acknowledgement of your request, not final acceptance of supply at an estimated weight.
• We may contact you to clarify quantity, destination, delivery fee, product substitution, or availability before approval.
• An order is accepted when we approve it and create an invoice, or otherwise confirm acceptance in writing.
• If stock, pricing, or product information contains an obvious error, we may correct it before acceptance and give you the choice to continue or cancel.
• We may decline or limit an order for stock, food-safety, delivery, payment, fraud-prevention, legal, or operational reasons.

6. Prices, VAT, invoices, and payment

Prices are in South African rand. The website and invoice will show applicable delivery charges, discounts, VAT rate, and totals. Where VAT is not charged, the invoice will show a zero VAT rate. Payment must use the banking details and unique payment reference on the current invoice. Do not rely on banking-detail changes sent through an unverified channel; confirm changes using our published contact details.

Unless we agree otherwise in writing, payment is due by the date or status shown on the invoice and before release or delivery. Ownership remains with us until full payment has cleared, while risk transfers as described under delivery and collection below.

7. Delivery destinations and dates

• Only destinations currently enabled at checkout can be selected.
• You must select one of the available dates configured for that destination.
• A selected date is a planned delivery or collection date and may be affected by route, weather, stock processing, safety, or events beyond reasonable control.
• Delivery fees depend on the destination shown at checkout or on a later written agreement.
• You must provide a complete, accessible address and a reachable phone number, and ensure someone can receive perishable goods.
• If delivery fails because details are incorrect or nobody is available, reasonable redelivery, storage, or return costs may apply, subject to applicable law.

We will notify you of a material delay and work with you on a reasonable new date. Time is not guaranteed to be of the essence unless we expressly agree in writing.

8. Collection and transfer of risk

For collection orders, you must collect during the confirmed window and may be asked for the invoice reference or proof of identity. Risk in the goods passes when they are delivered to the nominated address or handed to you or your authorised collector. This does not affect rights relating to defective, unsafe, or incorrectly supplied goods.

9. Perishable food, cold chain, and customer responsibilities

Meat, poultry, broth, and other temperature-sensitive products must be handled safely. Inspect the order promptly, refrigerate or freeze it without delay as indicated on its packaging, maintain the cold chain, avoid cross-contamination, and cook products to a safe internal temperature where applicable. Follow all package instructions, use-by dates, and allergen information.

Contact us promptly if packaging is damaged, the product is at an unsafe temperature, goods are missing, or the order is incorrect. Photographs, batch information, the invoice, and safe retention of the product may help us investigate. Do not consume food you reasonably believe is unsafe.

10. Cancellations, returns, refunds, and defective goods

Contact us as soon as possible to request a cancellation. Because food may be cut, packed, reserved, weighed, or routed specifically for an order, cancellation after processing has begun may not always be possible. Any lawful cancellation right that applies to an electronic transaction remains unaffected.

For hygiene and safety reasons, we generally cannot place correctly supplied perishable food back into stock after it has left our control merely because of a change of mind. This does not remove your rights where goods are unsafe, defective, not of acceptable quality, or do not match the order. Where a remedy is due, we will provide the repair, replacement, refund, or other remedy required by applicable law and appropriate to the nature of the food product.

11. Product recalls and safety notices

If we identify a safety concern or recall, we may contact affected customers using account or order details. Follow recall instructions promptly and do not consume an affected product. Safety communications are transactional and may be sent even if you have not opted into marketing.

12. Wholesale customers

Wholesale prices are intended for eligible business customers and may depend on volumes, product, availability, or a separate written arrangement. A wholesaler is responsible for maintaining lawful food storage, traceability, labelling, resale, and handling practices after delivery. These terms apply alongside any signed wholesale agreement; the signed agreement prevails where it expressly conflicts.

13. Website use and intellectual property

You may use this website only for lawful browsing, account management, and ordering. You may not interfere with security, access data without permission, automate abusive requests, introduce malicious code, copy customer or pricing data, or impersonate another person. Website content, branding, photography, designs, and software are owned by us or licensed to us and may not be commercially reused without permission.

14. Service availability and third-party services

The website depends on internet, hosting, authentication, database, file-storage, and communications providers. We work to keep it available but do not promise uninterrupted or error-free operation. Links or integrations such as WhatsApp are governed by the relevant provider’s terms as well as these policies.

15. Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes liability or a remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded. To the extent the law permits, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss that was not reasonably foreseeable, or for loss caused by incorrect customer information, unsafe handling after risk passes, unauthorised account access not caused by us, or events beyond our reasonable control. Any limitation is applied fairly and subject to the Consumer Protection Act and other mandatory law.

16. Complaints and disputes

Please first contact us at umami@biedouw.com with your account or invoice number and a clear description of the issue. We will try to resolve it reasonably. You may use any complaint, ombud, regulator, tribunal, or court process available under South African law.

17. Governing law and general terms

South African law governs these terms. If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only to the extent necessary and the remaining terms will continue. A failure to enforce a term immediately is not a waiver. We may update these terms prospectively; material changes will be dated and, where appropriate, presented for renewed acceptance.

18. Relevant South African legislation

These terms are intended to operate consistently with the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, and applicable food-safety law, including the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972.

1. Responsible party and scope

Biedouw Shop / Umami Chicken is the responsible party for personal information processed through this shop, customer accounts, quotes, invoices, delivery administration, and related customer communications. This policy is intended to meet the openness requirements of South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

2. Information we collect

• Identity and account data: first and last name, Firebase user identifier, customer or wholesaler account number, account type, and password-protected authentication records. We do not receive your readable password.
• Contact and delivery data: email, phone number, house number, street, city, postal code, country, destination, delivery date, and delivery notes.
• Business and tax data: optional tax or VAT number, purchase-order reference, and wholesale status.
• Transaction data: cart contents, products, quantities, estimated and actual weights, prices, quotes, invoices, payment reference, status history, and delivery information.
• Communications: messages, support requests, complaints, delivery instructions, and WhatsApp communications you choose to send.
• Technical data: device/browser information made available through normal web requests, authentication state, local browser-storage records, security logs, and timestamps.

We do not intentionally collect card details or process online card payments on this website.

3. Where information comes from

We collect information directly from you when you register, edit your profile, place an order, or contact us; from authorised staff who create or update an order for you; automatically from the website and its security/authentication services; and, where appropriate, from a person authorised to order on behalf of a business.

4. Why we process it

• To create and secure your account and recognise retail or wholesale pricing.
• To provide product availability, calculate estimates, reserve stock, create quotes and invoices, and fulfil orders.
• To arrange delivery or collection and contact you about operational changes.
• To maintain inventory, financial, tax, safety, traceability, complaint, and audit records.
• To prevent fraud, misuse, duplicate processing, unauthorised access, and stock errors.
• To respond to requests, exercise or defend legal rights, and comply with lawful obligations.
• To improve the reliability and usability of the shop using limited operational information.

5. Lawful grounds

Depending on the activity, we process information because it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, comply with law, pursue a legitimate business or security interest that does not unjustifiably harm your rights, protect a legitimate interest of you or another person, or because you have consented. Withdrawing consent does not invalidate processing already performed lawfully and does not prevent processing required for an existing order or by law.

6. Required and optional information

Fields marked required are needed to create an account or fulfil an order. Without them, we may be unable to provide the requested service. Tax numbers and non-essential notes are optional unless needed for a particular business transaction. Do not put unnecessary sensitive personal information in order notes.

7. Who receives information

We disclose only what is reasonably necessary to:

• authorised staff, packers, administrators, and delivery personnel;
• couriers or collection partners that need recipient and routing information;
• Google Firebase and related providers used for authentication, database, hosting, and file storage;
• communications providers, including WhatsApp, when you or we use that channel;
• professional advisers, insurers, auditors, or authorities where reasonably necessary or legally required; and
• a successor in a genuine business reorganisation, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.

We do not sell personal information.

8. Cross-border processing

Some cloud or communications providers may process or back up information outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to use providers, contracts, rules, or other safeguards that provide an adequate level of protection as required by POPIA.

9. Retention

We keep account information while the account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards. Quotes, invoices, transaction, stock, tax, complaint, and safety records are retained for the periods required by applicable law and legitimate recordkeeping needs, commonly at least five years where relevant. We may retain limited records longer for unresolved disputes, fraud prevention, product traceability, recalls, or legal claims. Information is then deleted, anonymised, or securely archived as appropriate.

10. Security

We use reasonable organisational and technical safeguards, including access controls, authenticated accounts, restricted administrative functions, service-provider security, and audit information. No internet system is completely risk-free. You should use a unique password, protect your device, and tell us promptly about suspected account compromise.

11. Your POPIA rights

Subject to applicable law and identity verification, you may:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you and request access;
• request correction, completion, deletion, or destruction of inaccurate or unlawfully held information;
• object to processing on permitted grounds or withdraw consent;
• object to direct marketing and ask us to stop marketing messages;
• complain about our handling of personal information; and
• not be subjected to an unlawful solely automated decision with legal or similarly significant effects.

Send requests to umami@biedouw.com. We may need to verify your identity and may retain information that we are legally required or entitled to keep.

12. Direct marketing

Operational messages about orders, invoices, safety, recalls, or account security are not marketing. We will send electronic direct marketing only where legally permitted and will provide a reasonable way to opt out. You can object at any time by contacting us.

13. Children

Accounts and purchases are intended for adults aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly create shop accounts for children. Contact us if you believe a child’s information has been submitted improperly.

14. Complaints to the Information Regulator

We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You may also contact the Information Regulator (South Africa), which supervises POPIA compliance. The Regulator currently publishes enquiries@inforegulator.org.za and 010 023 5200 as general contact channels.

15. Policy changes

We may update this policy when our processing, providers, or legal duties change. The effective date and version will be updated. If a change materially affects an activity based on consent, we will request new consent where required.

1. What these technologies are

Cookies are small text records placed by a website or service provider. Modern web applications may also use local storage, session storage, IndexedDB, or similar device storage. In this policy, “cookies” includes these related technologies unless a distinction is necessary.

2. What this shop currently uses

3. Essential status

The technologies listed above support account login, security, cart operation, checkout, and reliable product display. They are essential or closely related to a service you request. The current shop does not intentionally use third-party advertising cookies or behavioural advertising trackers. If analytics or advertising tools are added later, this policy and any required consent controls must be updated first.

4. Your choices

You can block or delete cookies and site data in your browser settings. Blocking essential storage can sign you out, clear your cart, prevent account creation or checkout, and make product images less reliable. Signing out removes the active authentication session but may not clear every local cache; use your browser’s site-data controls if you want to remove all locally stored records.

5. Third-party services

Firebase and other linked services may use their own technical storage when providing authentication, database, security, or communications functionality. Their processing is also addressed in the Privacy Policy. Opening an external service such as WhatsApp takes you to that provider’s platform and policies.

6. Changes and questions

We will update this section if the technologies or purposes change. Questions or requests about cookies can be sent to umami@biedouw.com.