Melesteu will coordinate the group’s operations in eight countries and will be reporting directly to Todd Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Strauss Coffee BV.
The region of Central and Southern Europe represents a new segment for the structure of Strauss Coffee. Strauss group hold two factories in Romania and Serbia, respectively, and its exports target Bulgaria, Moldova, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Albania and Macedonia. The two factories have a total production capacity of over 30,000 tons per year and employ over 500 people.
Melesteu, with more than 15 years of experience in the industry of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), has been at the helm of Strauss Romania, the producer of Doncafé, since 2010.
Melesteu started his career in 1994 at Stimorol Romania, one of the largest producers of chewing gum. He subsequently joined Unilever Romania where he worked for seven years, filling various positions, up to that of country manager for Serbia and Montenegro.
In 2004, he was appointed marketing manager at telecom operator Telemobil (Zapp), but he subsequently returned to the FMCG industry, working as commercial manager at Heineken Romania, for a five-year period, and as general manager at Strauss Balkans.
Strauss group, one of the world’s leaders in the industry of food products and beverages, operates on five continents, holds hundreds of brands and employs around 11000 people.