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The hefty wealth of the booze billionaires can make one wonder if selling alcohol is one of the most lucrative business endeavors. Several retired Hollywood celebrities and persons from other fields like sports or art often indulge in starting a booze business, even if it is just a side hustle. If it is done right, they can even turn into million and billion-dollar ventures within a matter of a few years. This reaffirms the fact that the booze industry is, in fact, one of the most booming zones in the market and has remained so since the beginning of time. Coming to billionaire investors who have dedicated their lives to mainly selling booze and holding significant stakes in the largest of brewers, their wealth has grown manifold over the years.
Here is a list of some of the top booze billionaires in the world.
Charlene de Carvalho
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken was born in 1954 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and is of Dutch-British origins. She was born to Freddy Heineken, a Dutch industrialist, and Lucille Cummins, who had a Kentucky family owning Bourbon whiskey distillers. The 67-year-old billionaire businesswoman is currently the controlling owner of the conglomerate Heineken International, one of the largest brewers on a global scale.
She holds about 23 percent of the stakes in Heineken International and is one of the top booze billionaires in the world, holding the prestigious position of executive director in the company. She is undoubtedly the wealthiest person alive in the Netherlands and has amassed wealth, summing up to about $16.3 billion.
Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi
The Thai business magnate and investor Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi was born in 1944 in Bangkok, Thailand. Sirivadhanabhakdi was born to a Thai street vendor, but he charted out how to make it big in life. A few years down the line, he became the owner of the world-famous Thai Beverage, which is the largest producer of booze in Thailand.
His company Thai Beverage is famous for products like Chang beer and Sang Som rum. Sirivadhanabhakdi also improved the scenario of beer sales in Thailand exponentially by collaborating with the famous beer brand Carlsberg. Beer Chang soon became the largest brewer in Thailand by taking over 60 percent of the local market share. Sirivadhanabhakdi is one of the top booze billionaires with a net worth of about $16.8 billion.
Jorge Paulo Lemann
Another booze billionaire is Jorje Paulo Lemann, who is not only a citizen of Brazil but is also a Swiss citizen. He is currently the 65th richest person in the world, boasting a net worth of about $18.7 billion.
Jorge Paulo Lemann is mainly known for his brilliant skills as an investment banker. In fact, he began his career as an investment banker, which later drove him to become a controlling shareholder of Anheuser-Busch InBev. It can be said that Lemann is one of the most powerful booze billionaires as Anheuser-Busch InBev is the largest brewer in the world.
Francois Pinault
The Luxury brand group 'Kering' is under the direct leadership of the French billionaire Francois Pinault. He is also the head of the investment company called Artémis. Together with his family, Pinault has become one of the wealthiest businessmen and investors in the world.
His company began in 1963 as a wood and timber company, but later, in 1999, Pinault took the strategic decision of diversifying it. Today, the company owns not only several fashion brands but also many booze brands. The billionaire also has a decent stake in Gucci, and his son is the head of the sports brand Puma. Francois, currently 82 years old, has built a net worth equivalent to approximately $29.7 billion with his successful career.
Jack Ma
Jack Ma Yun, or simply Jack Ma, was born in Hangzhou, China, in 1964. He is one of the world's richest men at the age of 56. Jack Ma began small in his professional life as an English teacher until he became famous for being the creator of the renowned e-shopping site called Alibaba.
He is among the richest men in China, and although the main source of his wealth is earnings from Alibaba, Jack Ma has also been involved in the business of wine and other drinks in China. In fact, he manages the booze business through China's Alibaba Group and is worth over a brilliant $37.3 billion.
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault became the richest person in the world on a May morning this year, where he officially became a billionaire with a jaw-dropping net worth of about $186.3 billion. Bernard Arnault was born Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault in 1949 and is currently one of the wealthiest investors and art collectors at the age of 72 years.
He built up his great wealth not just by handling booze companies, although booze is one of his primary sources of income. Arnault is the CEO and chairman of the French Conglomerate of luxury brands called LVMH. He owns fancy champagne brands such as Dom Perignon, Moët & Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy, and Château d’Yquem, as stated by The Drinks Business. Since 1989, Arnault has also headed several prestigious fashion brands under his conglomerate, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Fendi.
It is pretty evident that social status plays a crucial role in the act of drinking. The tastes and preferences always vary when it comes to different sections of society. Even the concept of 'acquired tastes' is a classist notion. As such, some of these billionaires have made their billion-dollar fortunes simply by selling booze to the elite, while others have catered majorly to the masses and have generated just about the same amount of wealth.
Source: The Drinks Business, Forbes, Vine Pair, english.people.cn