Rank #103
Emmanuel Besnier
Net worth $25.6B
Cheese · France
- Born
- Sep 18, 1970
- Age
- 55
- Source
- Cheese
- Residence
- Laval
- Citizenship
- France
- Marital status
- Children
- 0
- Education
Net worth over time
Biography
- Emmanuel Besnier is the controlling shareholder of family-held Lactalis, the world's largest dairy conglomerate, with more than $30 billion in annual revenues.
- His grandfather founded the company in 1933. It now sells products including President brie, Siggi's yogurt and Stonyfield.
- His younger siblings, Jean-Michel and Marie, split the rest of the ownership in the family's milk and cheese giant.
- The world's biggest dairy company, Lactalis now employs 85,000 and owns more than 266 plants in 51 countries.
- Besnier has been called the "French Howard Hughes," "the Emperor of Cheese," and, thanks to his disdain for the press, "the invisible billionaire."
- On his first day in business, Besnier's father collected 17 liters of milk and made 35 camemberts.