Our Founder Arif Molu

Arif MOLU, the founding leader of our company, was born in Kayseri as a child of a wealthy family in 1901. After he finished his primary and secondary education, he started his business life in 1919. Until 1923, he was engaged in glassware and kerosene in Kayseri, and then in iron and steel trade in Mersin. With his partners, in 1926-1927, he carried out the subcontracting of the last thirty kilometres of Ankara-Kayseri railway line, and then in 1927-1930, he undertook the construction of a part of Kayseri-Sivas railway line. After that, he took part of the construction of  Niğde-Ulukışla, Afyon-Sandikli, Diyarbakır- Cizre railway lines and meanwhile, he constructed Niğde Gebere dam.

After the Second World War, he got interested in technical farming. In Kayseri, he established the largest and the most modern farm, known as Molu Çiftliği, in a landscape that is left from his grandfather. In Molu Çiftliği, he started activities such as grapery and fruit farming, and for the first time in the history of Kayseri, he started the production of sugar beet.

He undertook the construction of Kayseri Tuberculosis Hospital, which was constructed with the donations of Nuh Naci Yazgan in the early 1950s, and he led to the establishment of Kayseri Sugar Factory in 1954. In between the years of 1955-57, he established the Central Anatolian Mensucat factory by forming a joint stock company with some businessmen and he directed towards industrialization.

Since the beginning of the 1970s, Arif Molu has attempted to establish Karsu Textile Factory with the cooperation of an aggregate corporation. After he oversaw the establishment of this factory in the Autumn of 1973, he had a major accident. After about three months of treatment in Ankara, he passed away at the age of 72 on December 23, 1973, before he could see the opening of the factory.

Arif Molu, who is known as Arif Aga, has pioneered many charitable projects as one of the most exciting, idealistic, entrepreneurial, progressive, visionary businessmen of the new Turkish Republic, and he dedicated himself to the development of the country. The opening of the first Imam-Hatip High School in Kayseri at the end of the 1940s, the restoration of the Grand Mosque at the beginning of the 1960s and the establishment of the Kayseri Islamic Institute in 1964 were accomplished with his efforts and in 1982, the Islamic Institution became the Faculty of Theology as a part of Erciyes University.

Arif Molu, who gives a great importance to education, made sure that his four sons received higher education in Germany. He also supported many young people without financial means to receive high school and university education.

Sait Mollu, the eldest son of Arif Molu, graduated from Istanbul Law School and received a Ph. D degree in law in Germany and assumed the position of General Directorate of the Central Anatolian Mensucat Factory when he returned to Turkey. Later, he served as legal advisor at the mining aid Commission in Ankara and started the establishment of Karsu Tekstil with his father at the beginning of 1970’s. he assumed the chairmanship of the Board of Directors for his death and served this duty until his death in July 2014.

After graduating from Istanbul Law School, Faruk Molu, the second son of Arif Molu, studied Economics in Germany, and after returning to Turkey in the early 1960s, he served as the Coordination department of state planning organization, General Directorate of state Industrial Bank, and retired from Tübitak in 1982 and served as General Directorate of karsu Textile, vice chairman and member of the Board for Meanwhile, he established the Kayseri free zone, pioneered the foundation of Yamula Dam, founded the Kayseri Industrialists  and Businessmen’s Association, and had been president for many years.

Metin Molu, who is the third son of Arif Ağa, trained in Textile Engineering in Germany and worked with his father for a long time. Afterwards, he founded two companies and worked in the textile and plastic sectors and at the same time he was a member of the Board of Directors of KARSU Textile. In 2014, he assumed the chairmanship of Karsu Textile Board of Directors on the death of his brother Sait Molu and still carries on this duty.

Continuing the philanthropy tradition they inherited from their fathers, the Molu Brothers built Arif Molu Industrial High School in Kayseri, the additional building, Muruvvet Molu Mosque on behalf of their mothers, the emergency service of Said Molu at Gevher Nesibe Hospital at Erciyes University and the Marianna Milo amphibious Amphitheater in Kayseri.

The MOLU brothers, who continue their charitable tradition they have inherited from their father, built Arif Molu Industrial Vocational High School in Kayseri, then the additional building, Mürüvvet Molu Camisini, Erciyes University Gevher Nesibe Hospital Sait Molu Emil Service and Marianna Molu Amphis.