agrifood commodity trader
for business between reasonable and responsible people
journey
from architecture to trading
I have followed two paths, creation in architecture and mediation in trade, the second taking precedence over the first. These are seemingly unrelated fields, but they address fundamental needs: housing and nourishment. In both sectors, I have maintained a critical approach and sought innovation in line with my own values that I strive to put into practice daily.
My affinities, personal commitments, and my interest in health through nutrition have led me to specialise in organic products. My conciliatory character and quest for fairness have been revealed in my personal approach to negotiation based on empathy and mutual respect between contractors. Finally, my accumulation of experience has led me to consider the notions of distribution and end customer from a personal perspective, which I refuse to reduce to the simple term "consumer".
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architect 1991 - 2001
Study of fictional universe or 'worldbuilding' for the illustrated short story 'Igor face au Pseudologue'. TM
As an estimeed architecture professor was used to say with humour: "One enters architecture as one enters a religion". According to this rule, I fervently pursued my architecture studies, thanks to the kindness of my father, a painter and home designer in his spare time, as there were in those days. Loyal to this complicity, I have never abandoned this fascinating field that I still explore on the margins of my professional activity.
With a specialization in wood construction, I began my career as an architect in various agencies in the South coast of France and with the Urban Planning Service of French Polynesia. Over a period of about twelve years, I collaborated on exciting projects, including individual and group housing, secondary and tertiary activity buildings, and healthcare facilities.
ACOTZ. Semi-prefabricated wooden lodge with bio-sourced insulation encased in a reinforced concrete structure. TM
My approach was then imbued with notions of minimalism, and somewhat contrary to the 'High-Tech' vision of the time, I became interested in vernacular architectures that I believed deserved to be revived in a contemporary style, particularly due to their ecological interest.
Empathetic with my clients, I have been particularly concerned with programmes aimed at people with disabilities (in the plural) that do not limit themselves to mobility issues and lead to designing spaces by engaging the five senses.
Study of fictional universe or 'worldbuilding' for the illustrated short story 'Igor face au Pseudologue'. TM
In order not to lose my touch, I create in my spare time utopian projects that fall into the category of "paper architectures" which sometimes serve as scenes for my creative content and illustrated stories aimed at children's literature but also for adult readers.
Thus, I have designed over the course of my writings with psychological and philosophical tones a fictional universe or 'worldbuilding' in which possible evolutions of our society on a European scale are projected and where the abandonment of certain harmful practices for the environment, such as the use of petroleum derivatives, is put into perspective.
broker and trader 2000 - 2025
The "Maison André" at 24 Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence hosted the headquarters of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS from 2008 until its closure in 2026. A building rich in anecdotes, it witnessed the calling of the enigmatic magician from Aix known by the stage name Pierre Rideau.
Alongside my work in construction, I gradually lent a hand to the family partners of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS. What initially was a "side step" in my professional journey has ultimately become my main activity. I discovered a knack for business in addition to my taste for challenge... Training "on the job", I learned by doing, acquired step by step my negotiation skills, my expertise in Import-Export, and contributed to the expansion of the dried fruit range and the network with several hundred professional contacts covering the entire value chain of the sector internationally. The remarkable development of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS was the result of the stimulating and prolific work of its duo of brokers and brothers in private life. To illustrate the scale of the activity to which I contributed, the average transaction volume was around 35 to 45 M€ per year, with a peak that even reached double that! The total amount of goods sold by this company during my 25 years of service would be equivalent to the capacity of a current supertanker, which is over 300,000 tonnes or 12 years of almond consumption in France.
Incredible challenges have been met over the years, as each day brought its share of surprises, as is the case for any business. But thanks to the tremendous collective efforts of its employees and its two associate brothers, MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS became in a decade a leading international broker and was among the Ambassadors of France to the International Nut & Dried Fruit Council (INC).
I also took part in the creation of the company AMCO TRADING SAS (August Toepfer Monnier & Co. SAS), the trading company resulting from the joint venture of the German company ATCO (August Toepfer & Co. GmbH) and the broker MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS, thus adding the role of trader to that of broker in my portfolio. Bringing all my skills in Import-Export to AMCO TRADING SAS for its commercial development in Europe, I served for five years as Deputy Managing Director of this new player in the international markets.
chaine-du-vivant ● non-commercial information site
chaine-du-vivant ● non-commercial information site
agrifood commodity trader
for business between reasonable and responsible people
Donor of the SNSM 
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
journey from architecture to trading
I have followed two paths, creation in architecture and mediation in trading, with the latter taking precedence over the former. These are seemingly unrelated fields, but they address fundamental needs: housing and nourishment. In both sectors, I have maintained a critical approach and sought innovation in line with my own values, which I strive to put into practice daily. My affinities, personal commitments, and interest in health through nutrition have led me to specialise in organic products. My conciliatory nature and quest for fairness have been revealed in my personal approach to negotiation based on empathy and mutual respect between contractors. Finally, my accumulated experience has led me to consider the notions of distribution and end customer from a personal perspective, which I refuse to reduce to the simple term "consumer."
Study of fictional universe or 'worlbuilding' for the illustrated story 'Igor face au Pseudologue'. TM
The "Maison André" at 24 Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence hosted the headquarters of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS from 2008 until its closure in 2026. building rich in anecdotes, it witnessed the calling of the enigmatic magician from Aix known by the stage name Pierre Rideau.
ACOTZ. Semi-prefabricated wooden lodge with bio-sourced insulation encased in a reinforced concrete structure. TM
point of view
In contrast to the principle of globalisation, and in order to preserve the planet, I believe it is preferable to prioritise local sources to meet market needs. Regarding Europe, the Mediterranean production areas offer a wide range of fruits including almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and pine nuts. Asia Minor provides access to significant supply capabilities, particularly for hazelnuts, pistachios, and raisins. Finally, West Africa, which is also relatively close by sea, produces exotic dried fruits such as cashew nuts and is finally developing its local processing capabilities into finished products, whereas this was usually processed in factories in Southeast Asia.
Certainly, the inventory is far from exhaustive, but reasonable, as it is simply impossible to continue finding all the products of the world at hand every day of the year, and particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, regardless of the season, without a deleterious impact on our planet.
I also believe that this logic will impose itself, if only because of the inexorably rising costs of energy and transport, and the lengthening of maritime transits to avoid the ever-increasing areas of armed conflict these days.
notes
specialization
Having been made aware of environmental issues since my training as an architect, I enriched the product range of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS by creating the Organic Agriculture branch. Starting from a blank slate, I developed over twenty years an in-depth expertise in sourcing, quality, and regulation of organic dried fruits, in close relation with accredited certifying bodies such as ECOCERT.
I had the satisfaction of seeing my efforts rewarded by the vigorous growth of this segment. Success came through the establishment of strategic partnerships for secure long-term supplies accompanied by "tailor-made" solutions in terms of technical specifications, particularly implementing the use of bulk vacuum or sterile atmosphere packaging, thus reducing the multiplication of packaging. The choice of proximity to production areas has allowed to achieve shorter circuit deliveries of certain products, for the benefit of the environment and the regeneration of living organisms.
Thanks to close collaboration with carefully selected suppliers as guarantors of seamless traceability, particularly in Spain, I achieved significant objectives contributing to the commercial success of several major French brands specializing in organic nutrition.
Photo: Peggy Borlouoglou
Photo: Peggy Borlouoglou
chaine-du-vivant ● non-commercial information site
spécialization
Made aware of environmental issues from my training as an architect, I enriched the product range of MONNIER & PARTNERS SAS by creating the Organic Agriculture branch. Starting from a blank page, I developed over twenty years an in-depth expertise in the sourcing, quality, and regulation of organic dried fruits, in close relation with accredited certifying bodies such as ECOCERT.
I was pleased to see my efforts rewarded by the vigorous growth of this segment. Success came through the establishment of strategic partnerships for secure long-term supplies, accompanied by "tailor-made" solutions in terms of technical specifications, particularly implementing the use of bulk vacuum packaging or sterile atmosphere, thereby reducing the proliferation of packaging. The choice of proximity to production areas allowed for short supply chain deliveries for the benefit of the environment and the regeneration of living organisms.
Thus, thanks to close collaboration with rigorously selected suppliers as guarantors of unbroken traceability, particularly in Spain, I achieved significant objectives contributing to the commercial success of several major French brands specialising in organic nutrition.
perspective
Contrary to the principle of globalization, and in order to preserve the planet, I believe it is preferable to prioritize local sources to meet market needs.
Regarding Europe, the Mediterranean production areas offer a wide range of fruits including almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, and pine nuts. Asia Minor provides access to significant supply capabilities, particularly for hazelnuts, pistachios, and raisins. Finally, West Africa, also relatively close by sea, produces exotic dried fruits such as cashew nuts and is finally developing its local processing capabilities into finished products, whereas this was usually processed in factories in Southeast Asia.
Certainly, the inventory is far from exhaustive, but reasonable, as it is simply impossible to continue finding all the products of the world at hand every day of the year, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, regardless of the season, without a deleterious impact on our planet.
I believe that this logic will impose itself, if only because of the inexorably rising costs of energy and transport, and the lengthening of maritime transits to avoid the ever-increasing areas of armed conflict nowadays.