When Lawrence Calleja opened a grocery shop in 1900, there is no way he could have known that by 2020 it would be a multi-million-euro enterprise and home to one of the best-known brands on the Maltese islands. Now, as Managing Director, his great-grandson, Steve Calleja, is proving that product innovation is never far from this business family’s dynamic ethos.

It must be fascinating to work for a brand that’s also a household name and that is something Steve understands very well. After all, his family entity is the company behind the much-loved local snack, Twistees.

He literally grew up in the business, watching his father, Ray, take over the venture from his late father, John, as it embarked on exciting new endeavours with the opening of manufacturing plants and production of various confectionery products under the TOPSY brand.

“The company has been 119 years in the making,” Steve says, “and, today, it’s still a thriving family business, with my own children – Zoe, John and Julia – having joined as fifth-generation members. There aren’t many entities that make it that far, and I am so proud of the fact we are still innovating and developing every single day.”

The company was founded in the 1900s by Steve’s great-grandfather, Lawrence. At the time, it was run as a grocery store in Cospicua, and known as Colonial Stores, with a subsidiary outlet in Sliema. As time went by, Lawrence’s son, John, extended the operation by creating a distribution company in the 1970s called Strand Palace Stores.

This later developed into Strand Palace Agencies Ltd, and took the form of the business that has become so recognisable today. And, although Twistees is arguably the company’s best-known brand, its portfolio is vast, with products divided into ambient, chilled and frozen items, as well as wines and beverages, household goods and pet food.

At the helm of all of that, Steve describes his role as ‘diverse’. “It covers a lot of ground,” he says, “as I oversee all our managers’ performance, have direct contact with our foreign suppliers and key business personnel, find new products and look into business development opportunities.

Most importantly, though, I am currently spearheading our factory development, and moulding my children into the future heads of the company.”

His own future was very much set in stone early on, and he says it was always his intention to join the business and follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I think of our history as a success story to be proud of. I am proud of what was achieved by the generation before me and proud that I have kept the company growing from strength to strength, even after the demise of my brother, John.

"Today, it is exciting to be building new sectors within the company, including the wine, meat and export divisions. We’ve reached a very satisfactory level, but I am always hungry for more.”

Steve explains that the food industry is constantly changing because it is driven by a plethora of trends both locally and overseas. He is very much inspired by these developments, and keeps a close watch on consumer tendencies, the latest products and product machinery, as well as sectorial innovation.

“Staying a step ahead is definitely the biggest challenge, while also retaining a close relationship with our contacts, both internally and externally,” he explains. “As with many sectors, our people are our most important asset and we consider

them part of the family. In fact, we have an extremely low turnover of personnel, which is one of the things that pleases me most about what we do.”

International demand for some of the company’s products, including its signature Twistees, helped the company grow from a local one into an increasingly global one. This, Steve says, has been quite easy for Strand because growth has always come naturally.

Does he worry about the threat from international brands locally? “No,” he replies.

“The local market has always been a showcase for a large variety of imported brands, but our culture has always embraced national tradition. We are thinking more globally ourselves, and 2019 saw us expand on our exports and grow our production facilities. We have managed to achieve this while keeping a competitive edge on the importation side of things too.”

And there have been a number of key changes within the company in the last few years, mostly down to Malta’s growing population, the demand for an increased variety of products, and the burden placed on distribution.

As a result, Steve has been focused on expanding the company’s range of products, as well as growing its fleet. “We do not expect any slowdown in the next five years,” he says.

In fact, he cites upcoming opportunities as ‘never- ending’ and stresses that you have to seek them out. “The year 2020 is an exciting one for us as our new production facilities will open their doors and be 100 per cent complete, something that has been on the cards for a while now. Once that is done, we are also looking forward to concluding which new markets we will be exporting to.”

With a clear focus on that and more, Steve says that the company will continue to invest across all sectors of the business, while also concentrating on building ever-stronger relationships with the Strand family and its clients.

“It’s going to be an electrifying year. I can’t say too much as I wouldn’t want to give anything away. I have no doubt that we will end 2020 in an even stronger position than we started it.”

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