Bonapp, the Romanian anti-food-waste app that merged with its Hungarian counterpart Munch last year, is unifying its leadership across Central and Eastern Europe. Co-founder Luka Zivkovic, a French-Croatian entrepreneur based in Romania for the past ten years, has been appointed General Manager for Czechia and Slovakia while continuing to lead the company’s operations in Romania, the company announced.
The appointment brings three markets under one line of direction. Following Bonapp’s merger with Munch, as well as Munch’s earlier integration of the Czech food-saving platform Nesnězeno and its expansion into Slovakia, Zivkovic will steer regional management from Bucharest while relying on the local teams in Prague, Bratislava, and Bucharest. His mandate covers cross-border growth, scaling retail and hospitality partnerships, and aligning strategy across the three countries.
“Scaling our impact requires entrepreneurs who know how to build a highly engaged local community while thinking with a regional mindset. Luka’s proven track record in turning Bonapp into a powerful brand made it the clear choice to take over Czechia and Slovakia.” said Bence Zwecker, CEO of Munch.
Together, the Munch Group is the largest anti-food-waste network in Central and Eastern Europe, with over 4 million app downloads, 8,500 partner locations, and more than 7 million surplus food packages saved from going to waste. By 2030, the group aims to triple the number of food packages saved, double its user base, and expand into Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Slovenia.
Romania-Insider talked to Zivkovic about his new role and the road ahead.
What does this expanded role mean to you personally, and what convinced you to take it on?
Luka Zivkovic: Expanding my role to two new markets felt like a natural next step, both for the company and for me personally. The operational challenges and growth opportunities in Czechia and Slovakia are very similar to what we’ve been tackling here in Romania. Managing all three markets allows me to streamline our processes and ensure we are proactively exchanging best practices across the region. One of the biggest deciding factors, though, was the team. I’ve collaborated with some of our Czech and Slovak colleagues in the past and we’ve always had a great dynamic.
How do Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic compare when it comes to food waste habits and consumer appetite for surplus food apps?
Luka Zivkovic: Each market is operating at a completely different level of maturity. If you look at food waste per capita, Czechia and Slovakia are actually among the best performers in Europe, at roughly 91kg and 83kg per person, respectively. Meanwhile, in Romania, we’re looking at about 188kg per capita, significantly above the EU average of 130kg.
There are a few key reasons for this gap: infrastructure, legislation and culture. Romania still experiences supply chain inefficiencies, its food safety laws are incredibly strict, probably even too strict in some areas, and Romanians have a tendency to associate hospitality with abundance, which naturally leads to higher household waste. In Czechia and Slovakia, public awareness campaigns have been running for a while, so there are fewer misconceptions about our app. In Romania it’s a newer concept, but inflation and a growing appetite for sustainability are rapidly changing local habits.
What are your top priorities for the two new markets over the next 12 months?
Luka Zivkovic: Czechia and Slovakia are absolutely central to our ambition of being the undisputed leader in Central and Eastern Europe. In Czechia, the landscape has shifted significantly. We were directly competing with Too Good To Go over the past few years, but with their recent announcement that they are refocusing on other markets, a massive opportunity for growth has opened up for us. My top priority is to capitalize on this momentum and bring major new food retailers onto the platform to complement our strong hospitality network.
In Slovakia, our focus is on depth and expansion. We’re currently piloting our first major retail partner, and the goal for the next year is to solidify that relationship while expanding into new cities. And now we will be able to take a successful campaign, a tech upgrade, or an operational win from one country and immediately deploy it in the two others.
Beyond the growth numbers, what is the impact milestone you would most like to hit?
Luka Zivkovic: We rescued more than 7 million surplus food packages across the four countries we operate in, but our mindset is that every year, we need to do better. With everything we have in the pipeline for the next 18 months, I fully expect us to rescue more than 10 million packages by the end of that period.
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