Get to Know Our Team!

This week we’re putting the spotlight on two of our employees! Keep reading to get to know them.

Mesay Wakjira, Food Technologist

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I graduated from The University of Maryland, where I majored in Food Science in 2019. I believe the courses I took during my studies really helped me to reach where I am. I took several programs, but I must say I was more interested in food engineering and product development classes. While taking classes, I also enjoyed participating in the food science club. I joined Fuchs as intern which led me to secure a fulltime position as a Food Technologist. Prior to Fuchs and attending UMD, I went to Montgomery College where I studied General and Life Science. I also went to Georgetown University for an ophthalmic technician program before I started working at Silver Spring Eye for almost 7 years. In the coming years, I would like to take my skills deeper into flavors.

My hobbies are playing soccer, drawing, hiking, and cooking. Fun fact about me: I love to sing. I am currently serving as a lead singer at church. In addition to English, I can also write and speak Amharic, the Ethiopian official language, fluently.

Q: What is your favorite part of your role here at Fuchs so far?

A: I do enjoy being part something that is bigger than me, which is my favorite aspect of my role at Fuchs. I do spend a good amount of money on buying snacks. Therefore, it is very fascinating for me to see something I developed at my bench end up in some retail store or at your front door on a pizza.

Q: What food trends are you most excited about in 2021?

A: I feel like I am going to be biased here, but anything that has to do with coffee is always exciting for me. Not just me, but since the pandemic lots of people have been spending more time at home which forced them to eat breakfast. The options for coffee are limitless, so we might see lots of flavor innovations here. For example, Coffee & Almond Protein Chewy Bites, Cold Brew Coffee with Vanilla, Dairy or Non-dairy yogurt with coffee flavor, and Almond Butter & Cacao Smoothie Booster.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: My favorite food is Tibs, one of Ethiopia’s unique dishes. It is meaty, rich, delicious, and sometimes spicy. It is usually served with flatbread called injera but can be served with rice and bread too.

Q: Is there anything else you would like our customers or your fellow employees to know about you?

A: I like to assume that I am an adventurous person, so I would like our customers to know that I am opened for any crazy ideas they want to throw at me.

Ian Stroube, Continuous Improvement Engineer

Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I am originally from St. Louis MO. I grew up and spent my whole life there until after high school. I went to Iowa State University and graduated in 2019. This has been my first real job out of school so far, starting as an intern at first and getting hired on afterwards. Some of my hobbies include mountain biking and traveling (in a good year), and I’m also a motorcycle enthusiast. I am currently building a vintage moped in my living room which is something new.

Q: What is your favorite part of your role here at Fuchs so far?

A: As the continuous improvement engineer, I love being able to make improvements in the facility. I enjoy it because I have a lot of freedom to just make as much improvement as possible while getting to see what effects it has on the shop floor. I also like being able to work with just about everyone here at Fuchs, not just our operations team; I have the opportunity to work with people from just about every department.

Q: What’s your favorite food?

A: I can’t say I have a favorite food. I am a very adventurous eater, so I am willing to try just about anything once. I do a lot of my own cooking but my go-to if I don’t cook is the Thai restaurant close to my house.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like our customers or your fellow employees to know about you?

A: Overall, I have really enjoyed my time here at Fuchs. I love being able to work with so many different people and am very happy to have a place to come every day, especially during this past year when so many have not been able to. This has also been my first year in the state of Maryland, so I have been enjoying exploring/learning somewhere new.

One of Ian’s family recipes is featured in our new Family Recipes Collection! Learn more about the collection here.