"We even make our own natural salami," says Iwan Dobbelaere, one of the owners who has been working in the industry since he was a teenager. "We process 500 kilograms of cured meat every five weeks. We store it for three to four weeks, occasionally smoking it with Beachwood so the meat lasts longer and has a nice smell."

From turkey salami to Ardennes salami, Natuurvlees Dobbelaere produces seven types of hormone free, natural charcuterie. Iwan says you can see a difference in the meat. "There is a less of a sheen on cured meats. And with minced meat, the colour of naturally produced meat is much brighter and fresher," he explains. This means that when the meat is red, it is from being fed a variety of grains, not just corn (as is often the case in industrialised beef production).

That's only the beginning. In addition to making bio ready-made meals and natural salami, the company, based in West Flanders, butchers and processes 10 cows, 60 pigs and three pallets of chicken every week. Natuurvlees Dobbelaere gets it chickens from the Netherlands but its pig and cow arrive locally from East and West Flanders. The two pig farms and two cow farms work exclusively with the Dobbelaere family and are producing animals in accordance to the strict rules needed to label as natural or bio.

This is because all of the meat Natuurvlees Dobbelaere sells is natural, and some of it is bio. What's the difference? Both mean that the animals are not injected with hormones or antibiotics and are fed only vegetarian meals, such as grain, grass, cereal and hay.

While "natural" meat means that six or seven cows are allowed to graze per acre, "bio" requires a more stringent two animals per acre. And bio also necessitates that all the feed is also certified organic. To put this into perspective, the regular meat industry (not labelled as natural or bio) can raise up to 12 cows per acre, which are fed mostly corn, resulting in a less flavourful end product.

While Natuurvlees Dobbelaere has always been producing natural meat, it only recently added the necessary steps to be bio, completing the long process of certification. They were encouraged to take this step when the supermarket chain Bio-Planet asked them to create these products for them. "We have been raising natural beef and cows in Belgium for over 20 years, but this step towards bio is what the public wants," says Iwan.

Bio-Planet, a subsidiary of supermarket chain Colruyt, had nowhere else to look. There were no bio meat producers in the country. "We're the only producer of bio meats in all of Belgium," says Joeri Dobbelaere, Iwan's brother. "This is pretty special."

It's indeed impressive to witness the family-run facility and its dedication to processing healthy animals. In fact, the Dobbelaere family also gets its beef from a fifth farm; Iwan and Joeri's grandfather's cattle farm, which raises the Dobbelaere's most famed meat: the beef from the Blond d'Aquitaine cow. This connection to history and tradition only adds to the appeal of the company.

Joeri and Iwan's father, Ruby Dobbelaere, founded the company 10 years ago. Formally all butchers, the father now runs the grandfather's farm, and the two sons manage the business.

Before forming the company, the family worked in the local tradition. This meant going to the farmer's land once or twice a year and slaughtering a single cow or one or two pigs on site before coming the next day to pick them up and butchering them. Ten years ago, the government banned on-site killings and required the butchering of all animals to take place in a government-regulated slaughterhouse. (This was understandably in the name of hygiene and sanitisation, although you can sense resentment from the butchers about this lost way of life.)

Now, the animals arrive at the main site in Moerkerke freshly slaughtered, and they are then butchered into the appropriate cuts of meat - and occasionally incorporated into recipes. Enormous cows arrive on hooks in four pieces, (sans hide and head). There is surprisingly little gore and zero smell. In fact, the entire site is immaculate; the only time I got a whiff of anything was of gorgeous smoke when checking out the cured salami.

That salami is housed next to the kitchen, where the company has focused its attention. "We would like to continue to produce new meals and ready-to-eat meals," says Koen Gevaert, company chef, and the man behind the many a harried couple's answer to dinner. "With both men and women in a family working, there is less time to shop, prepare and cook a meal. People want meals they can quickly prepare but also to know they are made with ingredients they would have bought themselves."

Gevaert joined the company fresh out of college as a chef and has been working on recipe development over the past 10 years. A decade ago, about 25% of the company's products were ready-made meals. This has grown to 40%.

The range of these meals (all bio) include pasta with bolognaise, vol au vent, pizza napolita and the ever popular stoverij. A single package of the Flemish beef stew, which serves two, costs about €9. Natuurvlees Dobbelaere products can also be found in restaurants and butchers. In addition to their other butcher shops in Ostend, Ghent, Eeklo and Wijnegem, they provide meat to about 30 restaurants and a dozen or so butchers in East and West Flanders.

The Dobbelaere family is that rare breed that looked ahead, took a Flemish tradition and altered it to fit a changing market. Satisfied with their number of shops and an increasing output of ready-made meals, the company is now looking to begin distribution abroad.

www.natuurvleesdobbelaere.be

BUTCHER SHOP 101

VOCABULARY: beef - rundvlees • pork - varkenvlees • turkey - kalkoen • chicken - kip

BELGIAN SPECIALITIES: You know that white cow you see everywhere? That is the Blond d'Aquitaine, a breed originally from France. Dobbelaere's grandfather was a cow farmer and today, the farm produces some of the best known natural meal in Belgium.

HOW TO ORDER: To make the Flemish specialty stoverij (a sort of beef stew) according to tradition, you need the neck of the cow. Every butcher will know what to give you if you simply say: "stoofvlees". Buy about 500 grams for two servings. "Don't forget a good brown beer for the sauce," adds Joeri Dobbelaere.

HOW MUCH TO ORDER: For a meal, about 200 grams per person. "However," Joeri laughs, "The Flemish really like their meat, so maybe you should order more!"

PROPER STORAGE: Meat from a supermarket or shop that has been vacuum sealed can last up to 20 days in the refrigerator; meat hand-wrapped in paper by a butcher should be eaten within five days. Frozen, it can last anywhere from three to 12 months depending on the cut; ask your butcher if in doubt.