Meeting with Eñaut Jolimon de Haraneder, CEO of Alki

Alki is a furniture workshop founded in 1981 in Itsasu, a small village in the Basque Country, in a rural, less industrialized environment. The company was founded by five friends who pooled their ideas, strengths, and enthusiasm to try to remedy this situation.

Imbued with its ancestral and technological know-how, Alki today offers a contemporary interpretation of conviviality and distributes its products throughout the world by participating in the development of numerous spaces, including the headquarters of Alaena Cosmétique in Biarritz.

After serving as Industrial Director, Eñaut succeeds Peio Uhalde, co-founder of the cooperative. He is tasked with leading the company's transformation with projects such as the construction of the new workshop and the digitalization of the brand.

Tell us about your career path and your development within Alki.

An Arts & Métiers engineer, I began my career in the automotive industry, far from my home base in the Basque Country. I thus acquired solid experience in setting up production sites around the world.

Sensitive to Alki's project and values, I then responded positively in 2017 to the cooperative's requests to take the position of industrial director and support the structure in its evolution. I used my experience to develop the production tool and the efficiency of industrial processes.

I was elected to head the cooperative in 2020. Today, my mission is to lead the company's transformation with the construction of our new workshop as well as the digitalization of the brand.

Coming from a family of wood craftsmen, and attached to my roots, the Alki project makes all the more sense to me as it is driven by the firm desire to be a committed player for our region.

Introduce us to Alki

Alki was founded in 1981 out of a militant desire to live and work in the Basque Country. A committed cultural and economic player, the cooperative strives to always give meaning to the collective and build strong human relationships both within the company and with its customers and suppliers.

Due to its status, the proximity of its production, and the materials used, Alki has naturally built itself from the outset on common-sense practices that respect its ecosystem. Combining both craft and industrial techniques, Alki has maintained a unique expertise in solid woodworking.

Through her creations, she now offers a contemporary interpretation of conviviality, imbued with freshness, audacity and affection.

Beyond being a furniture manufacturer, Alki is a committed economic and cultural player. The Orria chair has been added to the French National Library. What does this mean to you?

The Orria chair (leaf of a book in Basque) is the result of a collaboration between designer Patrick Jouin, craftsman Atelier de Recherche et de Création du Mobilier National, and manufacturer Alki. The richness of the perspectives shared by these different stakeholders guided this project, initiated by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

As a manufacturer, we had to present a product that was faithful to the intentions of each stakeholder in the project, and worthy of the object's destination.

Pure in its lines, the Orria chair is unique and demanding in its design. Alki's companions placed all this rigor into the object's manufacture through strict technical choices. Its technical complexity lies in the discretion and lightness of its lines.

Following the BnF's principle of openness to all, during this year we will publish the Orria chair for the general public.

Last September, the symbolic ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone of your new workshop was held in Larressore. Tell us about this new milestone.

For over 40 years, Alki's mission has been to create value and grow business in the Basque Country. Alki is now giving itself the means to continue serving this economic and cultural commitment by acquiring a new workshop that will be much more than just a production facility.

On Thursday, September 22nd, the symbolic ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone was held in Larresoro. This was an opportunity for us to bring together the project's stakeholders—institutional and partners—who are supporting us in the construction of this major building. More than 80 people were able to discover this exceptional site. The morning was punctuated by speeches from the various stakeholders who praised alki's evolution, its coherent approach, and the new chapter the cooperative is entering today.

Alaena Cosmétique called on Alki to furnish the offices of its new head office in Biarritz.

At the end of the project, you went on-site to resolve a technical issue. Is this one of the keys to your success: being close to your customers?

Without a doubt. This has been our guiding principle since Alki's inception. Being close to our customers is crucial for us. We consider them partners first and foremost.

Photo credit: Sandrine Iratçabal