EST MÉDIA MONTRÉAL - Alicia Djouab, the entrepreneur driven by emotional intelligence By André Bérubé

ENGLISH TRANSLATION of the original french article available here.

Translated by Alicia Djouab, originally written by André Bérubé.

If behind every company there is an entrepreneurial story, for Alicia Djouab every creation is born from a life story. And her own story is far from ordinary… Portrait of a young creator and businesswoman unlike any other.

(Courtoisie) 

Alicia Djouab is the creator and one-woman orchestra behind the jewelry brand Groupe DEMONT, the Club Intellectuel (a discussion and connection group), and Les Éditions du GRAAL, dedicated exclusively to the publication of inspiring true stories.

The link connecting these three businesses located in the Ville-Marie borough? Emotional intelligence.

You need to go back about 11 years to understand the very particular path taken by the 26-year-old entrepreneur. Of Algerian origin and from a rather well-off family, she immigrated to France to begin university studies in medicine. Struggling to adapt to Parisian life, which did not suit her, she decided after her first year to cross the ocean and continue studying medicine at the Université de Montréal.

"I thought it would be just a formality. But to my great surprise, the day after I arrived, I learned that I needed a bachelor’s degree to study medicine here, which, of course, I didn’t have. It was a disaster. All my plans fell apart. But after a short reflection, I told myself whatever happens, happens! I decided instead to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, which would eventually lead me back to medicine," she explains.

As time went on, and although she was getting excellent academic results, her passion for becoming a doctor slowly faded, and then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020.

"At that time I felt like a career in science wasn’t for me. And it wasn’t a good period, because I was going through a breakup as well. So when my sister, who came with me when I moved to Montreal, launched her catering business Brunch Box right in the middle of the pandemic, I jumped full-force into the adventure with her. I helped her and it completely changed my state of mind," says Alicia.

While finishing her last year of university in 2021, she reflected on her future and realized that entrepreneurship was probably what interested her most, particularly because of the freedom it offers, she who is above all "a creator and an artist at heart, but also a rigorous Cartesian mind."

From Montréal, with love

    The biochemistry and molecular medicine graduate, who like many young people of her generation freely mixes French and English in her conversations, began searching for a stimulating and potentially profitable way to build a business.

"What was becoming increasingly clear to me was that my business needed to satisfy both my creative desire and my little fashion side. So jewelry-making, the world of fine jewelry, came to me as an interesting idea, even if I knew nothing at all about it!” she says, laughing.

But it is another aspect that would ultimately determine the guiding line of her first business, Groupe DEMONT (“from Montréal”) and the other projects that would later attach themselves to it.

Little by little, her ideas took shape and gave her brand a unique personality.

"Jewels are beautiful, they’re perfect from a business perspective because they’re already precious, they have material value, and they allow creativity. But because I’m someone deeply connected to my values and immersed in emotional intelligence, a field that fascinates me, the most important thing for me was to put the human experience and storytelling at the heart of the process. So associating my jewelry with moral and symbolic values, that’s what I wanted to do," says Alicia.

And that is how all DEMONT creations, about a dozen collections at the moment, are presented on the company website.

Behind each piece of jewelry is a story that inspired the designer.

"The design literally tells the story, that’s the concept, and that’s what we explain to people on the website. The craftsmanship is meticulous and we receive a lot of testimonials about the originality, the quality of materials, and the finishing. But customers are also buying the story and the values behind these life experiences. They come back to the site several times before purchasing, it’s not an impulsive purchase but a thoughtful and emotional one," the entrepreneur emphasizes.

Customers can choose the material and finish they prefer for each creation (gold, vermeil, precious stones, etc.). Prices compare to the current jewelry market, according to Alicia, who targets clients who have the ability to afford what she calls "accessible luxury".

Although she can now live off her art, this is relatively recent. Like many entrepreneurs, she had to navigate the turbulence of the first three years.

"The hardest part was getting the message across. And online sales especially require being as direct as possible. You need to offer a good price, quality, strong brand recognition, everything must be aligned so the customer completes the purchase quickly. Let’s just say that’s far from the philosophy and experience of Groupe DEMONT! It was a big challenge and caused me many headaches.”

Alicia therefore reworked and reworked again the presentation of the products on the website and her online sales strategies to eventually design an approach better suited to her unique audience. But ultimately, it was the multiplication of physical sales opportunities that allowed the business to reach cruising speed.

"Participating in corporate events, fairs, pop-ups, markets, collaborating with other businesses, that allows us to take more time with customers, to better present our concept and products. Sales are easier in those settings. But online sales are also growing steadily as we refine our techniques," she says.

While most sales in the first three years came from France, Italy and Germany, today Montreal and Toronto dominate.

Creating… intellectual encounters

Club Intellectuel's, Aug 21th 2025.

While working tirelessly to build Groupe DEMONT, the young entrepreneur still made time to "go out a lot," she says.

A passionate advocate of emotional intelligence, she explains that despite her outings, nine times out of ten she returned home disappointed by not having met anyone who stimulated her intellectually.

"I was disappointed because I felt like it was too often a waste of time and energy, and I didn’t think it was normal. I started questioning myself, thinking the problem must be me. But by talking to people around me, I realized that many felt the same way. That’s where the idea of the Club Intellectuel came from," Alicia explains.

She decided to carry forward the concept of sharing human experiences and emotional intelligence, this time through discussions between people looking for "deep connections," she says.

"There’s no personal or professional title attached to the group, and it’s not composed of social elites either. I’d say it’s people who voluntarily seek intelligence in all its forms, of course emotional intelligence, but also spatial-visual, mathematical, linguistic, etc. All forms of intelligence are interesting and allow incredible discussions around a multitude of themes during Club meetings."

Without hiding the fact that it is also a social club where couples can even form, she insists that this is not the primary purpose.

"All the better if it happens, but I think participants, who come from all age groups, mainly want intellectual stimulation while meeting people and getting out of the house. There was nothing like this before, a connection club of this kind."

Does the concept work well?

"Yes," she says, surprised by the immediate reception of the idea. "We now have a group of about thirty members forming, and there are requests for one in Quebec City. We’re currently reviewing adjustments to the structure of the program because we’re struggling to meet demand, but it’s a great problem to have."

The base concept is a meeting every third Thursday of the month around a predetermined theme participants have already reflected on thanks to an online preparation. During the evening, they have the chance to talk with several people through a pathway structured by the organizers (discussion tables).

A Matter of Publishing

One of the characteristics of a true entrepreneur is the ability to detect a good business opportunity when it presents itself. That is clearly a strength for Alicia Djouab.

Telling stories through jewelry or through the Club Intellectuel is one thing. But these formats are not ideal for exploring life experiences in depth. Yet this need was increasingly present among her community.

Naturally, a space was created on the Groupe DEMONT website to publish short stories, truly lived and inspiring ones.

However, since the website also has its limits, the creation of a publishing house became necessary to publish real books.

"What I want with Les Éditions du GRAAL is to publish only true life stories, lived by all kinds of people, regardless of background or origins. I want to share inspiring stories, rich in meaning, learning, and experience, whether the subject is beautiful or heartbreaking. I want reality as it is," she insists.

As the first book is about to be released, the publishing house already has more titles in preparation for the coming months.

"There are stories already on the site that will become books. And I’ve also approached authors who, in my opinion, have a lot to share personally. It is always an adventure tied to emotional intelligence, or at least aimed at helping us reflect on ourselves and on humanity."

Does the dynamic entrepreneur already have another project in the works?

"I’m working on opening the first Groupe DEMONT flagship in downtown Montreal, which will also include a space for the Club Intellectuel and shelves for Les Éditions du GRAAL. I hope it will open in 2027-2028," concludes Alicia.

And why not?