Rausing family

The Rausing family is a Swedish business family associated primarily with the creation of Tetra Pak and the later ownership of the Tetra Laval Group. Its business history began with Ruben Andersson, who was born in 1895 in Raus, near Helsingborg, to small-business owners August Andersson and Mathilda Fredrika Svensson. After studying at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration and earning a Master of Science from Columbia University in 1920, he returned to Sweden and became a director of Esselte. In 1921 he adopted the surname Rausing. Ruben Rausing entered the packaging industry in 1929 as a partner in Åkerlund & Rausing, later acquiring the other partners' shares in 1933. During the early 1940s he developed the idea of producing packaging for liquid products, an innovation that led to the establishment and growth of Tetra Pak. The family's industrial significance therefore rests less on a consumer-facing family label than on its role in developing and controlling a major international packaging business. Ruben's sons Hans Rausing and Gad Rausing inherited the company and became central figures in its expansion. In 1996, Hans sold his half of the Tetra Laval Group to Gad in a transaction reported at approximately $7 billion. Gad's children—Jörn, Finn, and Kirsten Rausing—subsequently became the owners and controllers of the group. The family has also developed a substantial presence in the United Kingdom, where several members live and where members of the family have pursued business, philanthropic, and horse-racing interests. Notable family members include Ruben's widow Elisabeth; Gad's widow Birgit; Hans Rausing and his wife Märit; their daughters Lisbet and Sigrid, both associated with philanthropy; and Hans Kristian Rausing. Kirsten Rausing is identified as a businesswoman and racehorse owner and breeder, while Finn and Jörn Rausing are business figures connected with the family's commercial interests. The family is also known for its close association with the privately controlled Tetra Laval Group, although the Rausing family itself is not a separately listed corporation or conventional product brand. Public reporting about the family has included the 2012 death of Eva Rausing, the then wife of Hans Kristian Rausing, at a London residence. Her husband was arrested in connection with the death and on suspicion of drug offences. This event is distinct from the family's industrial history but became a significant matter in coverage of the family. Overall, the Rausing family is best understood as a dynastic ownership and business family rooted in Swedish industrial entrepreneurship, with continuing influence through Tetra Laval and related philanthropic and private investment activities.

Ruben Andersson, later known as Ruben Rausing, was born in 1895 in Raus, Helsingborg, to the small-business owners August Andersson and Mathilda Fredrika Svensson. He studied at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration and at Columbia University in the United States, where he received a Master of Science degree in 1920. After returning to Sweden, he became a director of Esselte. In 1921 he changed his surname to Rausing. Rausing entered the packaging business in 1929 as a partner in Åkerlund & Rausing. Four years later he bought out the other partners. During the early 1940s he pursued the development of packaging for liquid products, an idea that became the foundation of Tetra Pak and the family's later industrial fortune. His sons Hans and Gad Rausing inherited the enterprise and helped build the associated business into an international packaging group. A major ownership transition occurred in 1996, when Hans sold his half of the Tetra Laval Group to Gad in a transaction reported at about $7 billion. After Gad's death in 2000, ownership and control passed to his children Jörn, Finn, and Kirsten Rausing. The family has retained a close association with the privately controlled Tetra Laval Group, while several members have lived in the United Kingdom and pursued philanthropic, sporting, and private business activities. The family's notable members include Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing; their sons Hans, Gad, and Sven; Gad's widow Birgit and their children Kirsten, Finn, and Jörn; and Hans's children Lisbet, Sigrid, and Hans Kristian. Lisbet and Sigrid are identified with philanthropy, while Kirsten is associated with business and racehorse ownership and breeding. The family's public history also includes a serious personal scandal. On 10 July 2012, Eva Rausing, the wife of Hans Kristian Rausing, was found dead at the couple's London home. Hans Kristian was arrested in connection with the death and on suspicion of drug offences. This episode received substantial attention but is separate from the family's industrial and ownership history.

• 2012

  Death of Eva Rausing

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Eva Rausing was found dead at her London home, and her husband was arrested in connection with her death and on suspicion of drug offences.

• 1996

  Hans Rausing sells his Tetra Laval stake

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Hans Rausing sold his half of Tetra Laval to his brother Gad Rausing in a transaction reported at approximately $7 billion.

• 1940

  Development of liquid-product packaging

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  During the early 1940s, Ruben Rausing developed the idea of manufacturing packaging for liquid products, laying the foundation for Tetra Pak.

• 1933

  Acquisition of the packaging company

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Rausing bought out the other partners in Åkerlund & Rausing.

• 1929

  Entry into Åkerlund & Rausing

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ruben Rausing became a partner in the packaging company Åkerlund & Rausing.

• 1921

  Ruben Andersson adopts the Rausing surname

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ruben Andersson changed his surname to Rausing, the name later associated with the family's industrial business.

• 1895

  Birth of Ruben Rausing

  [1]Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org

  Ruben Andersson, later Ruben Rausing, was born in Raus, Helsingborg, Sweden.

A Swedish industrial business dynasty associated with packaging innovation, long-term private ownership, and philanthropic activity rather than with a standalone consumer brand.

• Liquid-food packaging

  Tetra Pak

  Tetra Pak is the packaging business founded from Ruben Rausing's early work on containers for liquid products. The business became the principal source of the Rausing family's industrial prominence and developed into an international supplier of packaging and related systems for liquid foods and beverages.

• Packaging and food-processing group

  Tetra Laval Group

  Tetra Laval is the privately controlled industrial group associated with the Rausing family. Its businesses include the Tetra Pak packaging enterprise and related food-processing and packaging activities. The group is the principal corporate structure through which later generations of the family have maintained commercial influence.

• 2012

  Death of Eva Rausing

  Eva Rausing, wife of Hans Kristian Rausing, was found dead at the family's London residence on 10 July 2012. Hans Kristian Rausing was arrested in connection with the death and on suspicion of drug offences.

  Source

Read more

• 1996

  Transfer of Hans Rausing's Tetra Laval ownershipM&A

  Background

  Hans and Gad Rausing had inherited the family packaging business. In 1996, Hans chose to sell his half of the Tetra Laval Group to his brother Gad.

  Action taken

  Gad Rausing acquired Hans Rausing's ownership interest in Tetra Laval.

  Aftermath

  The transaction consolidated ownership of Tetra Laval under Gad Rausing. His children Jörn, Finn, and Kirsten later became the family's identified owners and controllers of the group.

  Reported transaction value. Hans Rausing held half of Tetra Laval → Gad Rausing held the acquired half (1996)

  Source

1. 1Rausing familyen.wikipedia.org