Tonight, Forbes released its famous “400 Richest Americans” report — an annual list that is typically dominated by real estate and techie tycoons.
Out of curiosity, I browsed the list for any food magnates. Surprisingly, I found several on the list, many of who made their billions from classic American foods and snacks such as cheese, salsa, sandwiches and pizza.
Here’s what I found:
No. 163 - four-way tie for the Cargill family. The heirs to food giant, Cargill, are worth $2.5 billion each. The company controls every aspect of the food chain — from animal feed to meats.
No. 190: James Leprino – Just call him the cheese czar. Leprino turned his dad’s modest mozzarella cheese business into the world’s largest. Leprino cheeses can be found in Dominos, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut pizzas, according to Forbes. Net worth: $2.3 billion.
No. 301 — Michael Ilitch — King of Little Caesars pizza empire. Net worth: $1.6 billion.
Subway sandwich moguls, Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck, also tied for No. 301. Both have a net worth of $1.6 billion.
No. 321 — Christopher Goldsbury — founder of Pace Salsa Co. He made a bundle after selling the salsa company to Campbell Soup in 1996. Net worth: $1.5 billion.
Special note: Orange County billionaires made the Forbes list: No. 20 — Irvine Co.’s Donald Bren. He’s worth $12 billon. No. 262 — a tie between Broadcom founders, Henry Nicholas III and Henry Samueli. The embattled tech tycoons are worth $1.8 billion each. For more, go here.
WHY CAN”T THESE UNHEALTHY RICH PEOPLE GIVE THEIR EMPLOYEES A RAISE WHERE THEIR INCOME IS ENOUGH TO BUY A CAR,HOME, AND RAISE THEIR FAMILIES. YOU CANNOT TAKE YOUR MONEY WITH YOU WHEN YOU LEAVE THE EARTH. I WAS VERY HAPPY WHEN THE CEO DEL TACO DIE AND LEFT A FORTUNE BEHIND. IT PAYBACK FOR NOT TAKING CARE OF YOUR HARD WORK EMPLOYEES.