TO READ: "The Subtle Taste of Solar Olive Oil"

This summer, Envols magazine features an interview with Alexis Muñoz about his olive oil productions and upcoming projects. The interview is conducted by Olivier Joyard.

"He is to olive oil what the oenologist is to wine."
Alexis Muñoz, a virtuoso elaïologist and committed producer, provides top chefs' tables and aims to revive the olive oil industry in France.

Before the delightful Alexis Muñoz, we had never spoken to an elaïologist. We didn’t even know what the term meant. Well, it refers to olive oil experts, and the Toulouse-born, Franco-Spanish native represents the elite of this field. Recognized by renowned chefs, including the multi-starred Pierre Gagnaire, this man in his fifties dedicates his life to a beverage that the world consumes daily but knows very little about. His ambition is to elevate it to "an ingredient of cuisine, not just a condiment"—a subtle yet decisive distinction.

A Passion Beyond Family Tradition
"It wasn’t a family business; I built this activity on my own," says Muñoz, who worked in event management for about fifteen years before walking away from it all. He had already spent much of his vacations traveling across the Mediterranean basin, in search of the diversity and grandeur of the golden nectar. "I felt at home in the lands of the olive tree, alone with my backpack. I shared the daily lives of those who work there. The people, places, and encounters inspired me to go further. I wanted to feed off this passion rather than a salary from a big company."