History

In 1950, Van Muran established Murachanian Export Company in Los Angeles, California, for the export of original American used clothing. The principal market was Asia, with the majority of exports directed to Japan. As the business grew, the New York branch was opened to source additional supply of used clothing for the Japanese Market.

Shortly thereafter, the New York branch of Murachanian Export expanded to new markets in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Eventually, New York became the headquarters for all operations. In 1964, Murachanian Export relocated to Long Island as a larger warehouse facility was needed. A new 80,000 sq. ft. building was constructed for administrative offices and central warehouse, which is still used today.

In 1966, the Muran Group entered into a joint venture with the Tunisian Government to supply American used clothing to Tunisia. The Muran Group formed SOTAPEX, with the main office in Tunis and a large grading facility in Sousse. Muran’s supply reached 35 million pounds of used clothing per year, which was used for recycling. In addition, the Muran Group established a blanket manufacturing facility in Sousse, which produced over 1 million blankets per year from recycled yarn. The recycling operation employed over 1,000 people.The Muran Group continued to supply the raw material for 35 years, between 1965 and 2000.

In the last 10 years, the Muran Group has directed its efforts to supplying original American used clothing to different sorting operations worldwide. With its expertise and purchasing strength in the U.S., the Muran Group is able to source the best quality used clothing at the most competitive price for our clients worldwide.