Peter Mees, a disciplined artist.
The message of a Belgian entrepreneur for Romania.
A few kilometers from Ploiesti, a chocolate comes out of the hands of 25 good people, as I was rarely allowed to taste. Although this has been happening for over 13 years, Mees Chocolates is too little known in Romania. Combining Belgian raw materials with Romanian craftsmanship, Peter Mees’ team sends almost all its production to export and impress consumers from all over Europe!
For 19 years in Romania already, Peter Mees seems to understand our country better than many other compatriots. In fact, his 59-year-old story, written with sweat, sleepless nights, revelations and inspiration, is, as always, about the people and the opportunities he has met. We discover in the following, life lessons applicable regardless of the environment we come from.
He was born in Gent, Belgium, the eldest of eight siblings. His father, a former military man and business owner, is credited with the discipline he is showing today. The mother, in return, is responsible for the artistic side.
From this complexity, resulted a rebellious, romantic young man, author of poems in adolescence. He says he has always avoided strict rules that frighten people. However, he is grateful to his father for teaching him discipline, how to be action-oriented and run a business.
Peter Mees - first jobs and the discovery of chocolate
church and as a high school teacher.
The apparent peace of a secure job was gradually replaced by the care of tomorrow. He was forced to look for a second job, in which he discovered for the first time his talent for sales.
He would later head to Zeelandia, a Dutch bakery present in over 100 countries. He gradually rose through the ranks, being considered the best regional sales manager for years.
The results in Zeelandia have given him the confidence to look for opportunities in entrepreneurship. He identified an untapped niche – premium products in the bakery sweets section (chocolate, biscuits, jams, etc.) and started a distribution business.
Creative as we know him, Peter always had ideas for new products, only he quickly realized that no manufacturer could put them into practice. With the help of two specialists from a school in Bruges, the entrepreneur launched his own production of sweets, and in 1994 he opened Picco Bello, a small bakery in Sleidinge, East Flanders.
In less than six months, they stood out for the quality of the products, managing to impose themselves because they were the first to introduce marketing concepts. Among them, he mentions classic recipes displayed on the walls of the bakery, pre-packaged packages for special occasions or painted chocolate eggs. More importantly, Mees discovered the alchemist in him, the man who forgets himself to pursue a larger purpose. The artist who turns cocoa beans into delicious candies, appreciated by a wider audience.
The challenges of a passionate entrepreneur
The years went by, the business expanded, and the little entrepreneur became a respected name in the local community. At the turn of the millennium, Picco Bello had 60 employees and the distribution was to customers all across Europe.
It had grown to produce about 30.000 Easter eggs each year, a relevant example to the size of the business. Prices have always been in the top category, as Peter has always struggled to find the best ingredients, suitable for a sophisticated clientele.
On the other hand, in order to keep costs under control, it has often been necessary to use interns or part-time seasonal contracts. Like other entrepreneurs in the community, they faced the challenge of maintaining a high standard of quality at the lowest possible cost.
He admits that he accepted the relocation to Bucharest, first of all due to the low salary level in our country. On the other hand, he chose Romania to the detriment of Slovakia or Serbia, on the recommendation of other Belgians who positively appreciated the rapid growth rate of those years.
In October 2003, Peter Mees took over a small decorative rose business, run in an old warehouse in the Military District by a retired Luxembourger. Six months later, Picco Bello moved to a more modern factory in the Pantelimon District. They were a kind of back-up for bakeries, producing chocolate, jams, cookies, marzipan and other pastries.
Peter felt he was the master of the world. He had an apartment in Bucharest, a prosperous business, including a store that was selling very well. No one and nothing seemed to tear him off the pedestal on which he was sitting.
The less pleasant part is that he didn’t manage to move his family to Romania. Every two weeks, he was traveling to Belgium to visit his daughters. The sleepless nights spent to imagine new recipes and strategies shook his passion and turned him into someone he was not.
The helping hand at the right time and the appearance of Mees Chocolates
I don't consider myself a manager, I'm more of an action man. As such, I hired a Belgian partner to help us expand. It's probably the biggest mistake of my life.
The result? Because of that Belgian, Picco Bello collapsed. Peter was left alone in a foreign city, with no great prospects in the field he loved most.
Visits to Belgium became less frequent and he was spending his weekends reading, mourning his fate, looking for himself and the motivation to start again. With broken wings and almost empty accounts, only a miracle could have saved him. Personally, this miracle was called Roxana, the second wife and mother of his third daughter, Maria Laura.
Roxi is the first and most important miracle of my life. We think the same, we have the same tastes, we like the same colors. We share the joy of running a business together. It's a great feeling for two people to pull the same wagon. Thanks to her, 1 + 1 = 3. Also because of her, I understood that peace means only three things: love, health and the responsibility of a family. Without her, I wouldn't have realized what it's worth fighting for.
Somewhere in the same period, in 2009, the production activity moved to a hall of a modern industrial park near Ploiesti. Peter wants to point out that the park is exceptional and that he has not seen anything like it anywhere in the Netherlands or Belgium. The owner of this park, a Dutchman, was conquered by the Belgian’s recipes. More importantly, he made him understand the basics of a business, but also to overcome the difficult period.
With a fresh identity and gratitude to those who trusted him, Peter Mees and his business found a new home, a new beginning.
Mees Chocolates = Belgian ingredients + Romanian art
So it’s been 13 years since Mees Chocolates has been passionately producing chocolate-shaped love moments. The 25 employees come exclusively from the Ploiesti area, and about 66% are in the company from the beginning.
Everyone was trained in the art of chocolate by two great Belgian specialists. In front of them is the daily alchemist, the creative entrepreneur who likes to innovate with every recipe.
If Peter is in charge of creation, sales and administration, Roxi is in charge of the production. One of the goals is to make sure that people come to work every day with pleasure, that they can practice their skills without worrying about tomorrow. Everyone benefits from a respectable salary, six weeks of leave, but also a significant percentage of the annual profit.
I'm still a rebel, I'm not attracted to normalcy. Maybe that's why we don't hire people with diplomas, but people with souls. We are not their bosses, we are among them, and they feel it and there is a fantastic exchange of energy between us. It is essential that people feel respected. I believe that when you give freedom, the soul wakes up and takes flight. We have complete confidence in them, and they reward us with their passion and results.
In fact, trust in people seems to follow him everywhere. As its main business, Mees Chocolates has always been a subcontractor for the same 10 customers, companies from Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. These customers are not shy to constantly order from Ploiesti, first of all because Mees Chocolates is a guarantee of quality.
Although it may seem complicated, the business has built a prosperous flow. Peter proudly tells me that he still uses the best ingredients in the production process: Belgian chocolate from Barry Callebaut, butter from the Netherlands, marzipan from Lübeck, Germany and so on.
It’s the same process as 20 years ago, when Picco Bello was building a name in Belgium. The difference lies in the workforce, but especially in the rediscovered passion of the owner.
No other direct competitor can brag about such a story. In addition, the entrepreneur always reminds his partners where the chocolate comes from: from Belgian ingredients, combined with Romanian art!
Peter Mees' message for Romania - be proud of you!
Peter admits that he too has sinned against the mania of superiority specific to the expat who came to a seemingly poorer country. In 2003, when he moved to Bucharest, expectations were altered by the negative image built by foreign media publications.
In time, he realized that theft, prostitution, corruption, and the problems here were no different from those in Belgium. The difference between us and others is, from his point of view, that we, Romanians do not look at the full side of the glass. We indulge in shortcomings, we whine, and we tend to put the beautiful things we do, in the background.
He learned to appreciate us for what we are, Romanians, good and bad. He learned to look at all that is beautiful in a man, whether we are talking about the greatest CEO or the toothless poor in the countryside.
Love makes it possible to decipher a different culture. It wasn't until I joined my wife's family that I really understood you. The traditions of your country do not differ at all from the way I was raised by my grandparents in the village.
Perhaps the most impressive thing he told me during the two hours we spent together was the way he spent his last birthday. That day, he was free to do whatever he wanted, alone, without Roxana or Maria Laura. He chose to get in the car, to go to the countryside, near Targu Jiu, to visit his wife’s grandmother.
It is obvious that he enjoys any human interaction, that he knows how to offer love where he feels appreciated. It is this attitude that leads him to keep the « Wall of Change » section of the Mees Chocolates website alive.
Stop having prejudices about people. We are all small in this big world, but each of us has a contribution to society. We would better be proud of ourselves and what we have accomplished, let’not hesitate to tell our life story.
The priorities of an accomplished man at 59 years old
Peter Mees is still a disciplined artist. He starts his day with an hour dedicated only to himself. 20 minutes of sports, 20 minutes of meditation, 20 minutes of reading. He really wants to stay young, to stay with his wife and daughter for as long as possible.
For several months, Mees Chocolates has launched an e-boutique, where we can also order his creations. Slowly, Mees sweets will reach the tables of Romanians, as has been the case for many years in other European countries.
He does not hide his big dream, that chocolate should be seen as a normal food and not as a caprice. To do this, he always tests new and new recipes and recommends salt and pepper chocolate as an appetizer, or the chocolate that accompanies a good sparkling wine.
He wants to be always surrounded by people who are willing to give something altruistically from their being. In the recent years, he has returned to his origins as a teacher, as a storyteller who influences all those who follow him through his words and attitude.
Gone are the days when Peter considered himself too important to those around him. Although little known in Romania, the Belgian reminds us of life’s priorities. Let us be kind, disciplined, demanding with ourselves, but at the same time not be modest with our achievements.
Thank you for this message! Indeed, we are nothing less than anyone else in this great world!
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