A small group of major companies own everything we buy. Well, just about everything. When you go to the grocery store, you may see 20,000 different products. What amazing variety! But flip the labels around and the story looks much different.
Beverage and food companies in particular have massive rosters of sub-brands that we purchase every day or week for our pantry and refrigerator. Just a handful of pharmaceutical companies fully stock the medical aisles by themselves. In this article, we flip the labels to show how most markets are much more consolidated than you might think.
The Companies That Own Everything We Buy
Below, you’ll find information about twelve of the biggest companies that own everything we buy. Most of the conglomerates are food and beverage companies, but you’ll also find consumer good brands, pharmaceuticals., media companies, and an investment firm. Some of these companies own so many brands that they play in most or all of those markets.
Click on each logo to jump down in the article to learn more about that company.
| Pepsico | |
Unilever | Mars | Coca-Cola |
Mondelez International | KraftHeinz | General Mills |
Kellogg’s | Comcast | Blackrock |
Nestlé | The J.M. Smucker Company | Danone |
Associated British Foods | BerkshireHathawayInc. |
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is a pharmaceutical and consumer goods company based in New Jersey.
- Main Industry: Pharmaceutical
- Year Founded: 1886
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $94 billion
Notable Brands That Johnson & Johnson Owns
- Aveeno
- Band-Aid
- Carefree
- Dabao
- Dr Ci: Labo
- Johnson’s
- Le Petit Marseillais
- Listerine
- Motrin
- Neutrogena
- Nicorette
- OGX
- Stayfree
- Tylenol
- Zarbee’s
Pepsico
PepsiCo is a food, snack, and beverage company based in New York. PepsiCo was formed by the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 1965
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $79 billion
Brands That Pepsico Owns
- Alvalle
- Baken-Ets
- Bare
- Bolt24
- Brisk
- Bubly
- Cap ‘N’ Crunch
- Cheetos
- Chesters
- Cracker Jack
- Dole
- Doritos
- Gamesa
- Gatorade
- Grandma’s
- Health Warrior
- Hilo Life
- Kevita
- Lay’s
- Life Wtr
- Lipton
- Looza
- Matador
- Maui Style
- Mazanita Sol
- Miss Vickies
- Mountain Dew
- Munchies
- Munchos
- Muscle Milk
- Naked
- NatuChips
- Near East
- Neon Zebra
- Ocean Spray
- Off The Eaten Path
- Pasta Roni
- Pearl Milling Company
- Pepsi
- PopCorners
- Propel
- Pure Leaf
- Red Rock Deli
- Rold Gold
- Ruffles
- Sabritas
- Sabritones
- Santitas
- Sierra Mist
- Smartfood
- Sobe
- Soulboost
- Spitz
- Stacy’s
- Sunchips
- Tazo
- Tostitos
- Tropicana
- Unmuddled
- Yachak
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company is a consumer goods company based in Ohio that produces beauty, health, and family products.
- Main Industry: Consumer Goods
- Year Founded: 1837
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $76 billion
Brands That Procter & Gamble Owns
- Align
- All Good
- Always
- Ambi Pur
- Ariel
- Aussie
- Aways Discreet
- Bounce
- Bounty
- Braun
- Cascade
- Chairman
- Charlie Banana
- Cheer
- Clearblue
- Crest
- Dawn
- Downy
- Dreft
- Era
- Febreze
- Fixodent
- Gain
- Gillette
- Gillette Venus
- Head & Shoulders
- Herbal Essences
- Joy+Glee
- Just
- Luvs
- Meta
- Microban 24
- Mr. Clean
- My Black is Beautiful
- Ninjamas
- Old Spice
- Oral-B
- Pampers
- Pantene
- Pepto-Bismol
- Prilosec OTC
- Puffs
- Rindex 3en1
- Salvo
- Scope
- Swiffer
- Tampax
- The Art of Shaving
- This is L
- Tide
- Vicks
- Zevo
Unilever
Unilever is a British consumer goods company with based in London, England that produces soaps, cleaning products, cereals, and much more.
- Main Industry: Consumer Goods
- Year Founded: 1929
- Headquarters: United Kingdom
- 2021 Revenue: $62 billion
Brands That Unilever Owns
- Axe
- Bango
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Cif
- Comfort
- Domestos
- Dove
- Equilibra
- Hellmann’s
- Knorr
- Lifebuoy
- Liquid I.V.
- Lux
- Magnum
- Olly
- OMO
- Onnit
- Rexona
- Seventh Generation
- SmartyPants
- Sunsilk
- The Vegetarian Butcher
- Vaseline
- Wall’s
Mars
Mars is an American food and pet food manufacturing company based in Virginia.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 1911
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $40 billion
Brands That Mars Owns
- 3 Musketeers
- 5 Gum
- Abu Siouf
- Altoids
- American Heritage Chocolate
- Amicelli
- AniCura
- Antech
- API
- Aquarian
- Asia Veterinary Diagnostics
- Balisto
- Banfield Pet Hospital
- Ben’s Original
- Blu Pearl
- Buckeye Nutrition
- Catsan
- Celebrations
- Cesar
- Chappie
- Combos
- Companion Fund
- Crave
- Dolmio
- Doublemint
- Dreamies
- Ebly
- Eclipse
- Ethel M
- Eukanuba
- Extra
- FluffyGo
- Galaxy
- Goodnessknows
- Greenies
- Hubba Bubba
- IAMS
- James Wellbeloved
- Juicy Fruit
- KanTong
- Kinship
- Kitekat
- Leap Venture Studio & Academy
- Life Savers
- Linnaeus
- Lovebug
- M&M’s
- Maltesers
- Mars
- Mars Veterinary Health
- MasterFoods
- Milky Way
- Miracoli
- Misfits
- Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group
- My Cat DNA
- My Dog DNA
- My M&M’s
- Natusan
- Nom Nom
- Nutro
- Orbit
- Pamesello
- Peawee
- Pedigree
- Perfect Fit
- Pet Insight Project
- Raris
- Royal Canin
- Royco
- Seeds of Change
- Sheba
- Skittles
- Snickers
- Spearmint
- Starburst
- Suzi Wan
- Tasty Bite
- Thomas
- Twix
- VCA Animal Hospital
- Vet Insight
- Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital
- Veterinary Specialty Hospital
- Waltham Petcare Science Institute
- Whiskas
- Whistle
- Winergy
- Winterfresh
- Wisdom Panel
- Wrigley’s Big Red
Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company makes and sells non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages and is based in Georgia.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 1892
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $38 billion
Brands That Coca-Cola Owns
- Ades
- AHA Sparkling Water
- Appletiser
- AquArius
- Ayataka
- Barq’s Root Beer
- Bodyarmor
- Ciel
- Coca-Cola
- Costa Coffee
- Dasani
- Del Valle
- Diet Coke
- Dogadan
- Fairlife
- Fanta
- Fresca
- Fresca Mixed
- Fuzetea
- Georgia
- Gold Peak Tea
- i-lohas
- Innocent
- Jack Daniels Old Time
- Lemon-Dou
- Minute Maid
- Peace Tea
- Powerade
- Schweppes
- Simply
- Simply Spiked
- Smart Water
- Sprite
- Topo
- Topo-Chico
- Vitamin Water
Mondelez International
Mondelez International is an American food, beverage and snack food manufacturing company based in Illinois. It is a conglomerate of older food companies like Cadbury and Nabisco.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $28 billion
Brands That Mondelez International Owns
- 5Star
- 7Days
- Alpen Gold
- Barni
- Belvita
- Bournvita
- Cadbury
- Chips Ahoy
- Clorets
- Club Social
- Cote D’or
- Daim
- Enjoy Life Foods
- Freia
- Halls
- Honey Maid
- Hu
- Kinh Do
- Lacta
- Lu
- Marabou
- Maynards Bassett’s
- Milka
- Oreo
- Perfect Snacks
- Prince
- Ritz
- Royal
- Sour Patch Kids
- Stride
- Tang
- Tate’s Bake Shop
- Tiger
- Toblerone
- Trident
- Triscuit
- Tuc
- Wheat Thins
KraftHeinz
KraftHeinz is an American food manufacturing company created in 2015 by Kraft Foods (founded in 1903) and Heinz (founded in 1869) merging.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $26 billion
Brands That KraftHeinz Owns
- ABC
- Caprisun
- Classico
- Golden Circle
- Grey Poupon
- Honig
- Jell-O
- Kool-Aid
- Lunchables
- Kraft Mac & Cheese
- Master
- Maxwell House
- Ore-Ida
- Oscar Mayer
- Philadelphia
- Plasmon
- Pudliszki
- Quero
- Smart Ones
- Velveeta
- Watties
- Weight Watchers
General Mills
General Mills is an American food manufacturing company based in Minnesota that sells packaged foods through retail stores.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 1928
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $18 billion
Brands That General Mills Owns
- Annie’s
- Autumn’s Gold
- Betty Crocker
- Bisquick
- Blue Buffalo
- BoldCultr
- Bugles
- Cascadian Farm
- Cheerios
- Chex Cereal
- Chex Mix
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Cocoa Puffs
- Cookie Crisp
- Doolies
- Dunkaroos
- EPIC
- Fiber One
- Food Should Taste Good
- Gardetto’s
- Gold Medal
- Golden Grahams
- Good Measure
- Green Giant
- Helper
- Haagen-Dazs
- Jus-Rol
- Kix
- Larabar
- Latina Fresh
- Liberte
- Lucky Charms
- Monster Cereals
- Muir Glen
- Nature Valley
- Old El Paso
- Oui
- Pillsbury
- Pillsbury Atta
- Progresso
- Raisin Nut Bran
- Ratio Food
- Reese’s Puff
- Total
- Totino’s/Jeno’s
- Trix
- Wanchai Ferry
- Wheaties
- Yoki
- Yoplait
Kellogg’s
Kellogg’s is an American food manufacturing company based in Michigan that serves cereal and convenience foods to over 180 countries.
- Main Industry: Food & Beverage
- Year Founded: 1906
- Headquarters: United States
- 2021 Revenue: $14 billion
Brands That Kellogg’s Owns
- All-Bran
- Apple Jacks
- Austin
- Bear Naked
- Carr’s
- Cheez-It
- Club
- Corn Flakes
- Corn Pops
- Cracklin’ Oat Bran
- Crispix
- Eggo
- Froot Loops
- Frosted Flakes
- Frosted Mini Wheats
- Frozen Breakfast
- Grahams
- Honey Smacks
- Incogmeato
- Insta Bowl
- Jumbo Snax
- Kashi
- Krave
- Limited Edition
- MorningStar Farms
- Mueslix
- Nutri-Grain
- Pop-Tarts
- Pringles
- Pure Organic
- Raisin Bran
- Rice Krispies
- Smart Start
- Smorz
- Special K
- Toasteds
- Town House
- Zesta
Comcast Corporation
Comcast is the biggest telecom company in the United States. It is the second-biggest broadcasting company, the largest cable TV company, largest home internet provider in the US, and the country’s third-largest home telephone provider.
- Main Industry:Media
- Year Founded:1963
- Headquarters:United States
- 2021 Revenue:$116 billion
Brands That Comcast Corporation Owns
- Xfinity
- Comcast Spectacor
- Spectra
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Philadelphia Wings
- Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)
- Comcast Spotlight
- FreeWheel
- Watchwith
- ShopHQ
- Hitz
- Leisure Arts
- Music Choice LLC
- NBCUniversal
- NBC
- CNBC
- MSNBC
- Local television stations (KNBC, WNBC, NECN, WCAU, WMAQ, etc.)
- NBC Studios
- E! Studios
- Wilshire Studios
- Syfy
- USA Network
- Bravo
- E!
- Oxygen
- Universal Kids
- Telemundo
- Noticias Telemundo
- Universo
- Golf Channel
- MLB Network (partial ownership)
- NBC Olympics, LLC
- NBC Sports
- NHL Network (partial ownership)
- SportsEngine
- Fandango Media (majority ownership)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Universal
- Universal Television
- Universal Studios
- Universal Pictures
- Universal Animation Studios
- Universal Pictures International
- Universal Home Entertainment
- Illumination
- DreamWorks Animation
- Focus Features
- Working Title Films
- Carnival Films
- Sky Group
- Challenge
- Sky Arts
- A&E Networks UK
- Crime & Investigation
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- Comedy Central
- British Interactive Broadcasting Holdings
- Aura Sports
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American investment company headquartered in New York City. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, with $10 trillion in assets under management as of 2022. BlackRock is one of the three biggest fund managers in the country.
- Main Industry:Investments
- Year Founded:1988
- Headquarters:United States
- 2021 Revenue:$19 billion
Blackrock’s Biggest Holdings (2022)
This is different than the other companies listed above. Blackrock invests in other companies and provides investment vehicles. They own the stock market, is the better way to put it. Here are Blackrock’s 25 biggest investment holdings as of 2022:
- Apple Inc.: 6.50%
- Microsoft Corporation: 7.10%
- Amazon.com, Inc.: 5.80%
- UnitedHealth Group Incorporated: 8.00%
- Alphabet Inc.: 7.00%
- Johnson & Johnson: 7.60%
- Alphabet Inc.: 6.00%
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: 8.00%
- Exxon Mobil Corporation: 7.10%
- NVIDIA Corporation: 7.20%
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.: 6.60%
- Visa Inc.: 6.60%
- Chevron Corporation: 7.00%
- Procter & Gamble Company: 6.80%
- The Home Depot, Inc.: 7.40%
- Merck & Co., Inc.: 8.50%
- Eli Lilly and Company: 6.80%
- Pfizer Inc.: 7.90%
- Mastercard Incorporated: 6.80%
- AbbVie Inc.: 7.80%
- Tesla, Inc.: 5.70%
- PepsiCo, Inc.: 8.00%
- The Coca-Cola Company: 7.20%
- Meta Platforms, Inc.: 5.60%
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.: 7.90%
Blackrock’s Funds
Here are the funds (ETFs, mutual funds, etc.) that Blackrock owns that you might recognize.
- iShares
- Advantage
- Blackrock
- and more…
Nestlé
Nestlé is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland.
- Main Industry: Food and Beverage
- Year Founded: 1866
- Headquarters: Vevey, Switzerland
- 2022 Revenue: $99.3 billion
Notable Brands That Nestlé Owns
- Alpo
- Carnation
- Cerelac
- Cheerios
- Fitness
- Kitkat
- Maggi
- Milkybar
- Milo
- Nescafé
The J.M. Smucker Company
The J.M. Smucker Company also known as Smuckers, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products.
- Main Industry: Manufacturing
- Year Founded: 1897
- Headquarters: Orrville, Ohio
- 2022 Revenue: $7.99 billion
Notable Brands That The J.M. Smucker Company Owns
- 1850 Folgers
- 9Lives
- Adams
- Bick’s
- Café Bustelo
- Café Pilon
- Canine Carry Outs
- Carnation
- Crosse & Blackwell
- Dickinson’s
- Double Fruit
- Dunkin’
- Five Roses
- Folgers
- Golden Temple
- Gravy Train
- Jif
- Kibbles ‘n Bits
- Knott’s Berry Farm
- Laura Scudder’s
- Medaglia D’Oro
- Meow Mix
- Milk-Bone
- Milo’s Kitchen
- Nature’s Recipe
- Pup-Peroni
- Rachael Ray Nutrish
- Robin Hood
- Sahale Snacks
- Santa Cruz Organic
- Smucker’s
- Smucker’s Uncrustables
- Snausages
Danone
Danone S.A. is a French multinational food-products corporation based in Paris.
- Main Industry: Food and Beverage Manufacturing
- Year Founded: 1919
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- 2022 Revenue: $29.14 billion
Notable Brands That Danone Company Owns
- Actimel
- Activia
- Alpro
- Badoit
- Britannia Industries
- Clover Industries
- Cow & Gate
- Danimals
- Evian
- Happy Family
- Harrogate Spring Water
- Horizon Organic
- Nutricia
- Silk
- Vega
- Volvic
Associated British Foods
Associated British Foods plc is a British multinational food processing and retailing company headquartered in London, England.
- Main Industry: Food and Beverage Manufacturing
- Year Founded: 1935
- Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
- 2022 Revenue: $21.77 billion
Notable Brands That Associated British Foods Company Owns
- Abbott’s Bakery
- Allinson
- Argo
- Askeys
- Baking Mad
- Billington’s
- Blue Dragon
- Burgen
- Capullo
- Crusha
- Don
- Durkee
- Jacksons of Piccadilly
- Jordans
- Karo
- Kingsmill
- KRC
- La Tisaniere
- Mazola
- Ovaltine
- Patak’s
- Ryvita
- Silver Spoon
- Speedibake
- Spice Islands
- Sunblest
- Tip Top
- Tone’s
- Twinings
BerkshireHathawayInc.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States.
- Main Industry: Real Estate
- Year Founded: 1839
- Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
- 2022 Revenue: $302 billion
Notable Brands That Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Owns
- Acme
- Affordable Housing Partners, Inc
- Alleghany
- Ben Bridge Jeweler
- Benjamin Moore
- Berkshire Hathaway Automotive
- Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company
- Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies
- Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
- Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group
- Berkshire Hathaway Specialty
- BHE Pipeline Group
- BHE Renewables
- BHE Transmission
- BNSF Logistics
- BNSF Railway
- Borsheims
- Brooks Sports
- Business Wire
- Central States Indemnity
- Charter Brokerage
- Clayton Homes
- Corporate Office
- CORT
- CTB
- Dairy Queen
- Detlev Louis
- Duracell
- Fechheimer
- FlightSafety
- Forest River
- Fruit of the Loom
- Garan
- GEICO
- General Re
- H. H. Brown Shoe Group
- Helzberg Diamonds
- HomeServices of America
- IMC International Metalworking Companies
- Johns Manville
- Jordan’s Furniture
- Larson-Juhl
- LiquidPower Specialty Products, Inc
- Lubrizol
- Marmon(1)
- McLane Company
- MedPro Group Inc
- MidAmerican Energy Services
- MiTek Inc
- MLMIC Insurance Companies
- National Indemnity Primary Group
- Nebraska Furniture Mart
- NetJets
- Northern Powergrid
- NV Energy
- Oriental Trading
- PacifiCorp
- Pampered Chef
- Precision Castparts
- R.C. Willey Home Furnishings
- Richline Group
- Scott Fetzer Companies
- See’s Candies
- Shaw Industries
- Star Furniture
- TTI, Inc.
- United States Liability Insurance Companies
- WPLG, Inc.
- XTRA
Which companies own a lot of brands?
- Food & beverage: Pepsico, Mars, Coca-Cola, Mondelez International, KraftHeinz
- Pharmaceutical:Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Roche
- Consumer products: Procter & Gamble, Unilever
- Media: NewsCorp, TimeWarner, Comcast
Which media companies own everything we watch and read?
These six companies dominate the media (TV, film, music, video games, news):
- Comcast
- TimeWarner
- National Amusements
- Disney
- NewsCorp
- Sony
With hundreds of sub-brands and hundreds of billions in combined market value, these six media companies provide much of what we consume for content. To learn more, look at this WebFX infographic.
Which companies have the most subsidiaries?
- HCA Healthcare, a pharma company based in the US, has 2,447 subsidiaries
- WPP, a media company based in the UK, has 2,153 subsidiaries
- UnitedHealth Group, a financial services company based in the US, has 1,445 subsidiaries
- Blackstone, a financial services company based in the US, has 1,130 subsidiaries
To learn more, visit this article that compiles data from GlobalData.
What is the biggest privately owned company?
In the United States, Cargill is likely the biggest privately owned company. Worldwide, Vitol (based in the Netherlands) is the biggest. For state-owned but not publicly traded companies, Saudi Aramco is the largest (and quiet possibly the largest company in the world outright).
A private company is not obligated to share financial figures, so most rankings are estimates.
