Levantins founders Serge Al Irani and Elie Nakad win awards for Le Joyau d’Olive
After graduating from MBS in 2022, Serge Al Irani and Elie Nakad set up Levantins, a company dedicated to discovering Lebanese artisanal products. In 2024, their work was rewarded with two prizes for Le Joyau d’Olive, a brand of top-of-the-range, eco-responsible soaps that they have been selling since 2023. From the outset, they have been supported by coaches from the MBS Entrepreneurship Center in the development of Levantins.
From Lebanon to France: a friendship marked by shared ambitions
Elie Nakad and Serge Al Irani were civil engineering students at the time when they met at university. They soon struck up a friendship that was strengthened by their shared ambitions. Alongside their studies, the two friends each ran their own business, Elie having founded a cleaning company and Serge a clothing shop.
However, their initial enthusiasm for the construction industry waned during their end-of-year work placement, when they realised that professional practice was not living up to their expectations. This disappointment, combined with growing insecurity following the tragic explosion in the port of Beirut, prompted them to consider a future elsewhere. Together they applied for the Lean Operations Management Masters at MBS and were accepted.
When cultural difference rhymes with opportunity
In France, Elie and Serge are discovering a very different way of life from the one they experienced in Lebanon. One of these unexpected differences led them to their next entrepreneurial project: the use of cosmetics. ‘By using shower gels and creams from supermarkets, we both developed dermatological problems. The composition of these products seemed far removed from the natural soaps we used in Lebanon’, they explain.
There were two reasons for this: the shower gels available from chemists, although effective, lacked aesthetic appeal, while luxury cosmetics failed to meet their expectations in terms of eco-responsibility and simplicity. These observations gave rise to a desire to promote Lebanese craftsmanship in France, while meeting a growing demand for eco-responsible products. So they set up their company, Levantins.
‘In Lebanon, soap-making is a very old tradition. We decided to make it the first product marketed by Levantins. We set about researching Lebanese manufacturers and, after contacting more than 90 craftsmen, we discovered Le Joyau d’Olive, a range of natural soaps that combine refined design with respect for tradition. We were won over by the quality of the product and the values of its creators,’ explains Serge.
An ambitious and promising roll-out
Since 2023, Elie and Serge have been travelling around the South of France to promote and adopt Le Joyau d’Olive. This is an essential step, because it will be the foundation on which other artisanal Lebanese products will be marketed. ‘Creating a French version of the brand’s website, developing an e-commerce channel, canvassing 5-star hotels and top-of-the-range perfumeries – our action plan is wide-ranging. We also travel regularly to the Côte d’Azur and Monaco to meet potential customers and build partnerships,’ confides Serge.
Their perseverance is paying off. In 2024, Le Joyau d’Olive won the Prize for Excellence at the European Natural Beauty Awards in Stockholm and the Prize for Best Artisanal Product at the Monaco Méditerranée trade show. These international accolades reinforced their positioning and credibility in the market.
Driven by their desire to promote Lebanese know-how, Elie and Serge have no intention of stopping there. Their long-term objective is clear: to diversify their range and become a benchmark for Lebanese craftsmanship in France, while promoting products that combine tradition, naturalness and refinement.
To visit the Le Joyau d’Olive website, click here.
