M. A. Kharafi & Sons
M. A. Kharafi & Sons is a privately owned Kuwaiti conglomerate whose businesses have included contracting, construction, tourism and real estate, food processing, and media-industry supply and integration.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
M. A. Kharafi & Sons, also known as Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al-Kharafi & Sons W.L.L. and the Al-Kharafi Group, is a privately owned Kuwaiti business group with activities spanning several commercial sectors. The company traces its origins to 1956, when Mohamed Abdul Mohsen Al Kharafi established it as a contracting business. From that base, the group expanded beyond construction into a diversified portfolio that has included tourism, real estate, food and food processing, and other commercial investments. The group has been associated with subsidiaries, affiliates, and managed companies in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its business model has therefore combined operating companies with investment holdings and project-based activities rather than presenting itself as a single-sector consumer brand. Construction and contracting remain important to its historical identity, while the wider organization has also been connected with property and tourism development and food-related businesses. M. A. Kharafi & Sons has also had a role in Kuwait's newspaper industry as a supplier and systems integrator. This activity illustrates the group's broader pattern of entering specialized infrastructure and service markets alongside its better-known construction and investment interests. Leadership of the group has historically been closely associated with the Kharafi family. Nasser Al-Kharafi led the company until his death in 2011. In 2015, following the death of Jassim Al-Kharafi, the family delegated Fawzi Al-Kharafi to serve as chairman and president. Fawzi Al-Kharafi died in 2021. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current chief executive or a definitive current operating status for every part of the group. A major portfolio transaction occurred in 2016, when the Kharafi family sold its shares in Americana to Mohamed Alabbar for a reported $2.3 billion. Americana was a significant food-service and food-manufacturing investment, and the transaction represented a major reshaping of the group's holdings. Earlier reference material estimated the company's 2006 revenues at approximately $3.3 billion, although that figure is historical, estimated, and not a current financial disclosure. The company is best understood as a family-owned Kuwaiti conglomerate rather than a conventional branded-product company. Its identity rests on the Kharafi family name, long-term participation in contracting and development, a geographically distributed network of subsidiaries and affiliates, and investment across multiple industries. Because the available reference material provides limited information about current subsidiaries, management, and operations, the present scope and status of individual businesses require further verification.
History
M. A. Kharafi & Sons was founded in Kuwait in 1956 by Mohamed Abdul Mohsen Al Kharafi as a contracting company. Its initial identity was therefore rooted in construction and contract execution rather than in consumer products or financial services. Over time, the organization developed into a family-owned business group with a broader range of subsidiaries, affiliates, investments, and managed companies. The group's expansion included construction-related activities as well as tourism and real estate. It also developed interests in food and food processing, sectors that gave the organization exposure to consumer and hospitality markets in addition to project-based contracting. Reference material describes subsidiaries and related companies in Europe, Asia, and Africa, indicating that the group's reach extended beyond Kuwait even though its principal base remained Kuwaiti. Another part of the group's activity involved supplying and integrating equipment and systems for Kuwait's newspaper industry. This specialized role complemented its construction and commercial interests and reflected the group's willingness to operate in business-to-business infrastructure markets. Leadership remained closely linked to the founding family. Nasser Al-Kharafi ran the company until his death in 2011. The Kharafi family later assigned Fawzi Al-Kharafi as chairman and president in 2015, following the death of Jassim Al-Kharafi. Fawzi died in 2021. The available reference does not identify a subsequent leader or provide enough information to confirm the current governance structure. The group was also known for substantial investments. In 2016, the Kharafi family sold its shares in Americana to Mohamed Alabbar for approximately $2.3 billion. The sale was a significant portfolio event because Americana represented an important food and food-service interest associated with the wider Kharafi business empire. Historical reference material also placed estimated 2006 revenue at about $3.3 billion, but this is an old estimate rather than a current audited disclosure. M. A. Kharafi & Sons is consequently best characterized as a diversified private conglomerate whose history combines Kuwaiti contracting origins, regional and international expansion, development projects, industrial and food interests, media-industry integration, and family-controlled investment decisions. Public documentation is limited regarding the group's present subsidiaries and operating status, so current business lines should not be assumed solely from its historical portfolio.
- 2021
Fawzi Al-Kharafi dies
[1]Fawzi Al-Kharafi died after serving as chairman and president of the group.
- 2016
Americana stake sold
[1]The Kharafi family sold its shares in Americana to Mohamed Alabbar in a transaction reported at approximately $2.3 billion.
- 2015
Fawzi Al-Kharafi becomes chairman and president
[1]The family delegated Fawzi Al-Kharafi to serve as chairman and president after the death of Jassim Al-Kharafi.
- 2011
Nasser Al-Kharafi dies
[1]Nasser Al-Kharafi, who had led the company, died in 2011.
- 2006
Historical revenue estimate
[1]Reference material estimated company revenue at approximately $3.3 billion for 2006; the figure is historical and not presented as a current audited result.
- 1956
Company founded as a contracting business
[1]Mohamed Abdul Mohsen Al Kharafi established the company in Kuwait as a contracting enterprise.
Products and positioning
A diversified, family-owned Kuwaiti conglomerate organized around contracting, development, industrial and food-related businesses, and cross-border investments.
Construction services · 1956
Construction and contracting
The company began as a contracting business and built its historical identity around construction and project execution. Public reference material does not specify a complete list of current contract types, named projects, or active construction subsidiaries.
Property and tourism development
Tourism and real estate
The wider group has held interests in tourism and real estate, including development-oriented activities. Available material describes these as part of the group's diversified portfolio but does not provide a verified current catalog of properties or projects.
Food industry
Food and food processing
Food and food processing have been among the group's major areas of investment and operating activity. Americana was a notable associated holding before the Kharafi family's 2016 sale of its shares.
Industrial and media technology services
Newspaper-industry supply and integration
M. A. Kharafi & Sons has been described as a supplier and systems integrator for Kuwait's newspaper industry. The available source does not identify specific equipment brands, contracts, or current service arrangements.
Brand decisions
2016
Sale of Americana sharesM&ABackground
Americana was a significant food and food-service investment associated with the Kharafi family's diversified portfolio.
Action taken
The Kharafi family sold its shares in Americana to Mohamed Alabbar.
Aftermath
The transaction, reported at approximately $2.3 billion, marked a major change in the group's investment holdings. The available reference does not describe the subsequent allocation of proceeds or broader portfolio effects.
Reported transaction value. $2.3 billion (2016)
Recent events
- 2021
Death of Fawzi Al-Kharafi[1]
Leadership change
Fawzi Al-Kharafi, who had served as chairman and president, died in 2021.
- 2016
Kharafi family sells Americana shares to Mohamed Alabbar[1]
M&A
The Kharafi family sold its shares in Americana to Mohamed Alabbar in a transaction reported at approximately $2.3 billion.
- 2015
Fawzi Al-Kharafi appointed chairman and president[1]
Leadership change
Following the death of Jassim Al-Kharafi, the family delegated Fawzi Al-Kharafi to become chairman and president of the group.
Sources1 sources
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