If you know how to look at markets, where to scan and search, there are simply fascinating stories happening in corners that most other people miss. Having been in markets at a deep level for 10+ years now, I often spot rather fascinating moves, and now that I’m blogging again, I’m going to be sharing updates like this more often. So, let me tell you about a company named Oliveda International (Ticker: OLVI) that’s up 1,300% since the start of the year, now boasting a market cap of over $3 billion, and is essentially the best performing stock of the year.

The basics: What the heck does Oliveda do?

You aren’t ready for this… But keep reading because the founder claims he has cracked the code on what he calls the waterless beauty movement. I have no idea what it means. I’ll try to explain: he believes most beauty products are watered down and his products simply use no water whatsoever. Actually, his beauty products are essentially mashed up olives, entirely unique to his brand. Need to get younger? Smear mashed up olive oil on your face.

Problem solved. $3+ billion opportunity.

Okay, but how did Oliveda become a $3 billion company?

Here’s how the CEO explained it in his latest earnings report and why his stock is soaring:

“The future of beauty is waterless, and the waterless beauty movement will change the beauty industry over the next two to five years. Why are we growing so exponentially? There are three main reasons:

1. First, our waterless beauty consultants run our business with such passion, dedication, and deep love that they are sensationally successful in showing people the difference between conventional and waterless beauty. I believe that beauty is not made for online shops and should not gather dust on shelves. Beauty should be recommended from human to human, to friends and family. Waterless beauty and direct-to-consumer are the perfect match.
2. Second, people understand the difference and no longer want to buy the up to 70% water in clean and/or organic beauty or in doctor brands.
3. Third, it works, and people love our 365-day guarantee, which we have been successfully offering in Europe and the U.S. for over a decade because we deeply believe in nature and what we are doing.”

His quotes are simply too hard not to share because the story, at all levels, is rather fascinating. While most people are focused on NVIDIA and others, this guy is selling the waterless beauty movement to a $3 billion market cap:

“Our mission is to heal the world with the power of our mountain olive trees. For this, we take over large lands with wildly growing mountain olive trees, cultivate and eco-certify them. The mountain olive trees then supply the worldwide unique, ‘Holistic Beauty Molecule,’ hydroxytyrosol, which protects the cells of the trees up to 4,000 years and also human cells perfectly. This globally unique Beauty Molecule, which is only found indigenously in our mountain olive trees, replaces 100% of the 70% water phase that is otherwise common in skin care products. The products are therefore 70% more efficient than those based on water. The water that we do not use in our products we bring to people in Africa by building water wells, most recently with the Maasai in the Kilimanjaro region in 2021. It is estimated that 2.5 billion people on our planet have no direct access to clean water.”

What’s up with the stock?

I need to make it perfectly clear that I still have some of my own investigation to do into this company, because the story is far from over.

First of all, even at $3 billion, it still does not trade on a major exchange like the NYSE or Nasdaq. Actually, it’s OTC and entirely over the counter. Also, if what I’m reading is correct, there are 615+ million shares outstanding, and the CEO owns 477+ million of those shares. He is by far and away the majority owner.

But I’ll say this, the CEO is clearly passionate and loves his company. You should read the about section in which he quite literally even says “I know this sounds crazy” – so kudos to him for even acknowledging how absurd this will sound to many people.

Additionally, I noticed someone recently shared that the company’s auditor is listed as “self-employed” on his LinkedIn profile. That’s a first for a $3 billion company!

The markets always have the craziest stories.

Some final thoughts:

• Do Your Research: Always thoroughly investigate a company before investing. Look into their business model, financial health, and management team.
• Beware of Hype: Sometimes, the most unlikely companies can trick investors. Stay critical and question extraordinary claims.

But also…

I have noticed that sometimes, the craziest stories, are actually where the biggest winners are. Think back to Tesla, when it was heavily shorted in 2012, and 2013, and 2014. Everyone thought Musk was crazy. That his vision was too bold. That he was way in over his head. I can remember all of this vividly as I was covering the stock in great detail, following the ensuing short squeeze, and calculating investor stats on a daily basis about Tesla at that time. So, was Musk crazy?

I believe we now know the answer to this.