MAFCO is a story about purpose, continuity and community. Our motto is to ‘Never Stop.’

MAFCO was established by Jacques Homsy in 1987 after getting exclusive distribution rights for a few European automotive product brands. For the following 25 years, MAFCO was headquartered Dora - Lebanon where Jacques sold products mainly to wholesalers. 

In 2002, Jacques nudged Marc (his son) at the age of 13 to join him at work on weekends, school holidays and summertime. The purpose was for Marc to keep his dad company, and learn ‘the trade’, in preparation for a time in the future where Jacques no longer is able to take care of the business.

That time came 10 years later in 2012, when Jacques passed away. At the time, Marc had just started working in Dubai, and MAFCO was at a crossroads. With emotions running high, Marc felt an obligation, and very personal purpose, to keep his father’s ‘legacy’ alive and the store running. He partnered with his retired uncle, Ernest, to handle the day-to-day operations, until a more sustainable solution would be found. In the meantime, Mme Afaf Homsy, Marc’s mother, took care of the business accounting and the admin side. The business’s continuity became a means for the grieving family to have a positive narrative and a purpose to rally around.

The partnership between Marc, Ernest and Afaf proved to be a fruitful one. Marc handled relationships with suppliers and the broad company direction, while Ernest employed his energy and experience in attracting customers and growing the business. Afaf was the voice of reason amongst the 3. In 2016, Marc & Ernest decided to change the business model and distribute the products across the country, instead of relying solely on 3rd party wholesalers. Within a couple of years, MAFCO developed relationships & business with over 1500 customers across Lebanon.

The post Ernest era came in 2019, when he passed away and Marc, while still in Dubai, had to run the operations from abroad. Lebanon was going through tumultuous times - devaluation, capital controls, Covid, the Port explosion, and an overall economic meltdown. Despite all of these issues, the business proved resilient, growing in the mid double digits YoY.

Throughout the years, MAFCO’s purpose has been to never stop, and always moving upwards, growing and creating creating opportunities for young, eager and capable talent.