The Saji and Torii clan of Japan preside over a similarly extensive booze fortune. The founding family took publicly traded Jim Beam-maker Beam Inc. private in 2014.
Public listings haven’t loosened the grip of the founding families at rivals like Davide Campari-Milano SpA, Brown-Forman and Remy Cointreau SA, which are still tightly controlled by their founding families.
France’s Ricard family, with a 16 percent stake, still exert considerable sway with Alexandre Ricard firmly in place as chairman and CEO. The family, which has long resisted cashing out, has one of France’s largest fortunes as proof of the wisdom of such a decision.
“Pernod Ricard is part of our family’s DNA,” Ricard said. “Our name is on every bottle.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.