Meet the Team

The Minds Crafting a Sweeter, Sustainable Future

Discover the dedicated and passionate individuals who make up the MeliBio team and work tirelessly to revolutionize the honey industry. With a shared commitment to sustainability and bee conservation, we're excited to introduce you to the skilled experts who are making our mission a reality. Together, we're buzzing towards a brighter, bee-friendly future.

Our Founders and Board

Darko MandichMeliBio icon logo
Darko Mandich
,
CEO & Co-Founder

Darko started his career in the European food industry in 2012 and worked on managing and growing honey companies in more than 5 countries. By pursuing his dream to reinvent the honey industry and make it sustainable, Darko immigrated from Serbia to the United States in 2019 to launch MeliBio.

Darko is now an impact entrepreneur on a mission to sustainably feed 10B+ people with delicious and nutritious foods while saving Planet's keystone species - wild and native bees.

Darko is passionate about the future of food and ways to advance science to make the food system sustainable, scalable and animal-free.

Aaron M. SchallerMeliBio icon logo
Aaron M. Schaller
, PhD
CTO & Co-Founder

Aaron is an avid chef, gardener, and scientist who obtained his PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. Aaron is passionate about feeding people, and making highly delicious and nutritious food more available around the world.

He is also passionate about nature, and promoting ecological balance by preserving and understanding keystone species such as bees. Combining these passions with rigorous scientific training, Aaron is uniquely poised to make an impact on the landscape of the future of food on our planet.

As CTO of MeliBio, Aaron is developing and using novel, as well as time-tested, methods to create honey, without the bee. These methods will be unique to MeliBio, their details protectable under patent(s), and scalable as MeliBio grows to meet worldwide demand.

Craig ShapiroMeliBio icon logo
Craig Shapiro
,
Board Director / Collaborative Fund

Our Team

Katie UhlMeliBio icon logo
Katie Uhl
, PhD
Head of Product
Grant ManleyMeliBio icon logo
Grant Manley
,
National Sales Manager
Benjamin MasonMeliBio icon logo
Benjamin Mason
, PhD
Associate Director of Microbial Development
Francesca ManeaMeliBio icon logo
Francesca Manea
, PhD
Senior Scientist
Michael NgMeliBio icon logo
Michael Ng
, PhD
Senior Research Associate, Microbial Development
Sarah ZiemkowskiMeliBio icon logo
Sarah Ziemkowski
,
Senior Research Associate, Product Team
Stephanie BrownMeliBio icon logo
Stephanie Brown
, PhD
Senior Scientist
Mark PelhamMeliBio icon logo
Mark Pelham
,
Operations Associate

Our Advisors

Maja ToftMeliBio icon logo
Maja Toft
,
Advisor to CEO
Daniella AllamMeliBio icon logo
Daniella Allam
,
Marketing Consultant
Maha TahiriMeliBio icon logo
Maha Tahiri
, PhD
Strategic Advisor to CEO
Ricardo CorderoMeliBio icon logo
Ricardo Cordero
,
Manufacturing & Supply Chain Advisor
Patrick SimoneMeliBio icon logo
Patrick Simone
,
Manufacturing & Supply Chain Advisor
Michael BerroMeliBio icon logo
Michael Berro
,
Sales & Distribution Advisor
Interested in Joining Us?

Help Us Transform the Honey Industry

Ready to make an impact in the world of sustainable honey? Explore our current job openings and discover how sweet life can be at MeliBio.

Stock Options

Share in our success as a valued team member. We offer equity, giving you a chance to own a piece of the honey without bees revolution.

Premium Medical/Dental/Vision

Your health is our priority. Benefit from premium medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your family feeling your best.

Gym Membership

Stay active and healthy with a gym membership on us. After all, a healthy team is a happy and productive team.

Sick Leave

Your well-being matters to us. Enjoy peace of mind with our sick leave policy, ensuring you have the time you need to recover and return stronger.

401(k)

Secure your future with our 401(k) program, helping you build a solid foundation for a comfortable and worry-free retirement.

Free Tea, Coffee & Snacks

Perk up your day with complimentary refreshments, keeping you energized and ready to conquer the world of honey without bees.