On the website presenting these “artisanal oysters”, we could also read this: “We started at a time when only a few people were exploring the possibilities of modern aquaculture in the Magdalen Islands, and it took a lot determination, collaboration and a few serendipitous accidents to get to where we are.”
These oysters never existed, they were a stillborn project developed by businessman Alain Lord Mounir, who is currently involved in a legal saga in the Magdalen Islands in the context of bankruptcy of THE Renaissance of the Islands (LRDI).
“There was a project to launch oysters in the Magdalen Islands. […] When the hurricane Fiona hit [le 24 septembre 2022]the marketing was done, the marketing was done, the purchase orders. […] But suppliers lost many, many oysters to the hurricane. So, prices have gone up,” he detailed in an interview.
The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) confirms that it has never approved the project. “The production of oysters in the water domain of the State requires a permit from MAPAQ” and “Maison Nardin […] has never obtained (or applied for) an aquaculture permit.
Presentation that was made of Maison Nardin oysters on the website before it was modified. (Site web)
A brand of champagne
On the website of the Florence & Nardin house, presented as belonging to the Lord Mounir family, we write that Alain Lord Mounir is “president of the Florence & Nardin Champagne house since January 1, 2009”, that he “is faithful to the entrepreneurial spirit that has always driven his family, [qu’]he embodies the unique style and ancestral heritage all over the world. [sic] from the house of Florence & Nardin.
But in Champlat-et-Boujacourt, a town of some 150 inhabitants where Florence & Nardin claims to be “one of the only Houses in Champagne to produce the majority of the grapes used for its blends” in five vineyards, the town hall does not never heard of it. “We are not aware of a Champagne house named like this,” was the response by email.
The Interprofessional Champagne Wine Committee, an organization responsible since 1941 for the protection and promotion of Champagne, is categorical. “There is no Florence & Nardin Champagne house. But Florence & Nardin is registered as a Buyer’s Brand (MA), meaning that the Champagne producer agrees not to put its own brand on the label, but that of its client.”
In other words, Florence & Nardin buys and markets wines produced by suppliers who remain anonymous.
Florence & Nardin is a brand of champagne, but does not produce any. (Site web Florence & Nardin)
It will also be its label which will be found on the official champagne of the 2025 NASCAR Euro series, as announced on December 16 by the organizers. “With a heritage dating back to 1829, Florence & Nardin’s values of creativity and excellence will be united with NASCAR Europe’s ethos of innovation and high performance,” the press release states.
In an interview, Alain Lord Mounir acknowledges that Florence & Nardin does not produce wines inside the bottles. “Champagnes come from Champagne. Florence & Nardin, it’s produced in Champagne, it’s a brand.”
Asked if the wine comes from Champagne-et-Boujacourt, Mr. Lord Mounir replies that “the location of production may vary depending on the volumes and quantities. There must perhaps be the premier cru that is in that region.”
To a question asking him if he owned “at least one vineyard in the world”, he refused to answer.
Bottle of Florence & Nardin (Site web de Florence & Nardin)
A man of influence
Several people who have encountered Mr. Lord Mounir in recent years have testified to having noticed how much he wanted to impress. “He needed to say that he was very rich, that he had millions and millions. After two hours, if anyone had believed him, he was the owner of all of Bordeaux!” remembers a prominent person in the business world.
Alain Lord Mounir (alainlordmounir.com – before modifications)
-In October 2020, Mr. Lord Mounir published a message on Facebook: “My company Dermathermes is now one of the largest institutional suppliers [sic] of masks in the United States, so I gave an interview to Chris Cuomo of CNN USA for the show Cuomo PrimeTime.»
The status was accompanied by a screenshot of him in duplex with the host, which resembles in almost every way the image taken from an interview with author Thomas Friedman. Two differences distinguish the images, the visual of the interlocutor and his origin.
Alain Lord Mounir says he has no memory of this interview. He doesn’t remember it “at all.”
“I can’t tell you more,” he reiterated.
Screenshot of an interview with Chris Cuomo on CNN where the image is almost similar to that published by Alain Lord Mounir. (YouTube)
It was also on Facebook that he was delighted to have convinced a renowned architect from New York to work on his house project on the island of Havre-Aubert.
“So much fun this morning working with architect Yuji Yamazaki on the design of my new residence in the Magdalen Islands. The question of the day, how to integrate a swimming pool with heating and digging [sic] which weighs 75,000 pounds of water on the highest point of the roof of my future house and which would allow me to have a 270 degree panoramic view of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence???”
Contacted by a person familiar with the matter, the architect denied knowing him. “I have never met an Alain Lord Mounir and I have no idea what he is referring to,” he responded in English in an email including The Sun got a copy.
In an interview, Mr. Lord Mounir’s lawyer refused to allow him to answer the question whether he had done business with the architect.
Image that accompanied the status regarding the New York architect (Facebook)
Mr Lord Mounir has his own website, alainlordmounir.com, where he described himself until early December as “a serially successful entrepreneur”. It read, freely translated from English, that “Alain travels between his permanent residence in the suburbs of Montreal and his equity company in Hong Kong.”
He remained discreet about his age and his origins. During the February hearings at the Îles-de-la-Madeleine courthouse, he declared: “I don’t even know who it is, my father, my mother.” In interview with The Sunhe says he was born and raised in Montreal.
Like the Maison Nardin oyster website, the one presenting Alain Lord Mounir was modified in the days following our attempts to contact him. All information has been removed to make way for an announcement, in English: “a new project is coming to you, March 12, 2025”.
In the previous version, the businessman clearly wrote that he did not want to be contacted. “If you would like to contact Alain or his team for investments, charities or advice – PLEASE DON’T.
“We would have liked to have more time in a day – but we simply cannot accept more right now without challenging Alain’s sanity – or that of our team.”
Following numerous email exchanges between lawyers, Alain Lord Mounir agreed to grant us a video interview to answer a list of questions that had been sent to him in advance.
