In 1991 Quadrant Amroq Beverages was set up and received the Pepsi bottling franchise in Romania. Pepsi and Coca-Cola both entered the market that year.
In 2005, 49% of the company was sold, and in July 2006 PepsiAmericas bought control. The company had a plant in Bucharest and a mineral water plant in Covasna.
In 2012 Davidai described spending more than €2 million to train twelve Romanian doctors in Israel.
Asked for his message to entrepreneurs in Romania, he answered in one word: patience. And one more piece of advice: don't wait for the government to help.
Eli Davidai: the short answer
Eli Davidai is an Israeli businessman who came to Romania in the early 1990s, shortly after the fall of communism. In 1991 he set up Quadrant Amroq Beverages, the company that received the Pepsi bottling franchise in Romania. According to Ziarul Financiar, he is regarded as the creator of the Pepsi business in the country. In 2005 and 2006 the company was sold in two stages to PepsiAmericas, one of Pepsi's largest bottlers worldwide.
The Romanian press describes him as one of the most discreet businessmen in the country, and he rarely gives interviews. Yet in the few he has given, one idea keeps coming up: Romania is home.
In plain words: Davidai arrived in Romania when nobody yet knew what would happen there, built patiently, and stayed. This is a story about staying power, not luck.
Before Romania: a beverage CEO in Israel
According to Ziarul Financiar, Davidai was born in Israel, the youngest of seven children in a poor family. In Israel he is best known from Yafora-Tavori, a beverage company. According to Globes, in 1998 he completed three years as the company's CEO. During his time there, Yafora-Tavori entered the mineral water market through its subsidiary Ein Gedi.
Even then, Globes wrote, he had private business interests, including a partnership in the Pepsi-Cola franchise holder in Romania. Globes also reported that before he left, he had been offered CEO roles at large Israeli companies and turned them down.
1991: arriving while the market was still empty
According to Ziarul Financiar, Davidai first came to Romania only in the early 1990s. He was brought in by a friend, Mișu Negrițoiu, who was then working at the Romanian embassy in New York.
The background matters. In a 2010 interview with Wall-Street.ro, Aviad Meitar, who headed the bottler's parent company in its first years, explained that Romanians knew Pepsi even under communism. But it arrived in small quantities, mainly for people close to the regime. Pepsi and Coca-Cola both entered the free market in 1991 and started operating in 1992.
Davidai's company, QAB, held the exclusive Pepsi franchise for Romania and Moldova. According to Ziarul Financiar, by 2006 it had a soft-drinks plant in Bucharest, a mineral water plant in Covasna, and brands of its own such as Prigat and Roua Munților.
What he built: from Pepsi to software
In 2005, 49% of the company was sold, and in July 2006 PepsiAmericas bought control, 51%. According to Ziarul Financiar, QAB's revenue in 2005 reached €128 million. Davidai himself declined to comment and, according to the paper, explained that he is a private person who prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
After Pepsi, he kept working from Romania. In 2009 he said he was a shareholder in 30 companies, about a third of them in Romania, in IT, consumer goods, media and education. He also brought the Burger King chain to Romania. In 2012 he told Wall-Street.ro about Forsev in Turnu Severin, an exporter of forged metal parts, and about the software company Wizrom.
In the same interview he described spending more than €2 million to train twelve Romanian doctors in Israel. It is a small detail, but it shows how he sees the bond between the two countries.
Today, according to Financial Intelligence, he is a Managing Director at the American investment firm Quadrant Management, a role he has held for more than three decades.
Israel was practically built with the help of Romanians. (Eli Davidai, Ziarul Financiar, 2009)
How he sees Romania and Romanians
Two ideas run through his interviews: deep respect for Romanians, and honesty about the hard times.
On the historical bond, he said in 2009: "Israel was practically built with the help of Romanians" ("Israelul a fost construit practic cu ajutorul romanilor"). Hundreds of thousands of Israelis with Romanian roots will know exactly what he means. We cover that background in our chapter on the Jews of Romania and the link to Israel.
In 2012, asked what he would do if he were economy minister, he said he would push tourism hard, because Romania "is a wonderful country" ("este o tara minunata").
He does not hide the difficult side either. In an interview with DailyBusiness.ro he said the 1996–1997 crisis, when the leu weakened sharply, almost brought him down. "To win in business, you have to start by knowing how to lose. I lost a lot of money" ("Ca sa castigi in afaceri, trebuie sa incepi prin a sti sa pierzi. Eu am pierdut multi bani").
And in a 2021 interview with Financial Intelligence, his first on video according to the site, he is described as someone who feels "at home" in Bucharest, a city he has been coming back to for more than 30 years.
What a family moving to Romania can learn from his story
You are probably not planning to build a bottling plant. But a few lessons from Davidai's path also hold for a family moving to Bucharest.
Patience. In 2012 he summed up his advice to entrepreneurs in one word: "If my message had to be summed up in one word, it would be 'patience'" ("Daca mesajul meu ar trebui sa fie rezumat intr-un singur cuvand, acesta este «rabdare»"). A new start in a new country takes time, both for the paperwork and for your social life.
Do not wait for someone to sort it out for you. In the same interview he said: "Don't expect the government to do the work for you or to help you" ("nu te astepta ca Guvernul sa faca treaba pentru tine sau sa te ajute"). Documents, a bank account and residence are worth starting early. We set out the steps in our chapter on visas and residence and our guide to opening a bank account in Romania.
Remember that currencies move. The 1996–1997 crisis taught him that the value of the leu can change. Romania today is in a very different place, inside the EU and in Schengen. But if you earn in shekels, or in any other currency, and spend in lei or euros, it is worth thinking about. We wrote about this in our guide to euro instalments and currency risk.
Come and see before you decide. Davidai came to Romania through a friend who knew the ground. Today too, the best way to get to know Bucharest is a visit, conversations with people who already live here, and time.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eli Davidai still involved with Pepsi in Romania?
No. According to Ziarul Financiar, his company was sold to PepsiAmericas in two stages, in 2005 and 2006. Since then he has been active through Quadrant Management and other companies.
Does he still live in Romania?
In a 2021 interview he is described as someone who sees Bucharest as home and has been coming back to it for more than 30 years. We found no newer interviews, and he keeps a low profile.
What is Quadrant Management?
According to its website, it is an American private equity firm. According to Financial Intelligence, Davidai has been a Managing Director there for more than three decades.
The bottom line
Eli Davidai came to Romania as it was still emerging from communism, built one of the best-known brands in the country, lived through a hard currency crisis, and stayed. His story is a reminder that Romania rewards people who arrive with patience and with respect for its people.
If you are considering a move to Bucharest and want to talk through the first steps, book a 30-minute call with me. We will go through what is worth checking before you decide. The wider picture is in our complete guide to relocating to Romania.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: Ziarul Financiar, profile of Eli Davidai, 27.11.2009 (Romanian) · Ziarul Financiar, Davidai's 30 companies, 26.11.2009 (Romanian) · Ziarul Financiar, PepsiAmericas buys control of QAB, 6.7.2006 (Romanian) · Wall-Street.ro, interview with Eli Davidai, 18.10.2012 (Romanian) · Wall-Street.ro, how Pepsi came to Romania, 12.3.2010 (Romanian) · DailyBusiness.ro, interview with Eli Davidai, 2009 (Romanian) · Financial Intelligence, interview, 9.12.2021 (Romanian) · Globes, Eli Davidai steps down at Yafora-Tavori, 25.2.1998 (Hebrew) · Quadrant Management
Based on public reports and published interviews, correct as of 22 October 2026. Eli Davidai was not interviewed for this article.
The complete guide: relocating to Romania
- Relocating to Romania: the complete guide
- Visas, residence and legal status in Romania
- The Jewish community in Romania
- International education in Romania
- Prominent Israelis in Romania
Prominent Israelis in Romania: all the stories
- Chef Joseph Hadad
- Tova Ben-Nun Cherbis, Laude-Reut
- Rabbi Naftali Deutsch, Chabad Romania
- Eli Davidai, Pepsi Romania (you are here)
- Ambassador Dr. Lior Ben Dor
- Ofri Arad, FCSB
- Nancy Brandes
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
