Drinks moguls most likely to become billionaires at 54

The average age at which someone working in the food and drink industry will reach billionaire status is 54 years old, a new study reveals.

According to research by Genting Casino, the Food and Beverage sector is the sixth fastest working route to becoming a billionaire.

Topping the speedy billionaire list is those that work in Technology, who amass their billions by the age of 37.

The Metals and Mining, Telecom and Automative industries will all get you there faster than working in Food & Drink, which may offer billionaire status by the age of 54.

That magic number (54) is also the same as the average age in the UK to reach a billionaire. The UK currently sits in eighth position in terms of rankings for countries in quickest average age to reach the wealth milestone.

Russia, the US and China make up the top three countries.

Earlier this year db reported that LVMH is now Europe’s most valuable company at more than €455 billion. Its owner Bernard Arnault became the richest man in the world in January 2023, worth some US$200 billion.

The French luxury company owns Moët & Chandon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Cloudy Bay and Château d’Yquem in its wine and Champagne sector, and Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Belvedere in its spirits division.

 

According to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List, the drinks world is well-represented with five billionaires born from the drinks sector. Among those is Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who inherited around a quarter of Heineken’s shares when her father Freddy Heineken died in 2002, to become worth £13.122 billion.

Also racking up billions from drinks is the Porrodo family, which owns Château Labégorce in Margaux, a 70-hectare vineyard with 100+ year old vines, and Château Marquis d’Alesme, a third growth Margaux property. The family also makes money from oil and gas and owns Wytch Farm oil field in Dorset. The Porrodos wealth sits at around £7 billion.

Glen Gordon, chairman of whisky business William Grant & Sons, is worth £4.607 billion. The company owns brands including Glenfiddich, Drambuie and Hendrick’s gin, and ships its spirits to almost 200 markets around the world.

Alki David and the Leventis family of Coca-Cola HBC have an estimated wealth of £2.786 billion, a significant portion of which comes from the premium spirits it distributes via partnerships with Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels, Finlandia, El Jimador), Edrington (Famous Grouse, Macallan, Brugal whiskies) and Gruppo Campari (Campari, Aperol, Cinzano).

The final drinks billionaires on the list are Alejandro Santo Domingo and Lady Charlotte Wellesley of South African brewing company SAB Miller, acquired by AB InBev in 2016 for £78.4 billion, marking the third largest acquisition in history and the largest ever in Britain. SAB Miller included brands Carling Black Label, Peroni and Castle Lager among its portfolio. Columbian-American financier Alejandro Santo Domingo sits on the board of AB InBev, and is personally worth around £2.167 billion.

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