Theo Müller

Theo Müller (January 29, 1940) is a German businessman. He is the head of the dairy company Müller, which was founded by his grandfather.

Theo Müller
Born	(1940-01-29) 29 January 1940 (age 85) Aretsried, German Reich
Nationality	German
Occupation(s)	Owner, Theo Müller Group
Children	9

Early life

Theo Müller was born in Aretsried, Germany, in 1940,^[1] the son of Alois Müller.^[2]

Career

The Müller company was founded in 1896 by his grandfather Ludwig Müller^[2] in Aretsried, Bavaria. In 1938, his father Alois Müller took over.^[2] Theo took over in 1971, when the dairy business only had four employees.^[2]

Today, apart from the dairy businesses, Theo Müller Group has a packing company (Optipack), logistics (Culina Group), transportation (Fahrzeugtechnik Aretsried), fruit processing (Muller Naturfarm) and a fish restaurant chain (Nordsee). More recent acquisitions have included companies making chilled salad, sauces and dressings, speciality fish and baked goods.^[1]

In 2012, the company purchased Robert Wiseman Dairies, which supplies 30% of the UK's fresh milk market, for £280 million. In November 2014, the company agreed to buy Dairy Crest's milk business for £80 million. Theo Müller commented, "Bringing the two dairy operations together will enhance the merged business's ability to compete and will ensure that customers continue to receive quality products at low prices".^[3]

Müller is the sole owner, and as of 2015, Ronald Kers is the CEO, replacing Heiner Kamps [de], who retired in 2015.^[4] The company now employs more than 20,000 workers.^[5]

Personal life

Müller has nine children,^[1] seven with his wife Hanna Bittmann, whom he divorced in 1995, and two daughters with his partner Ines Hüvel.^[6] His eldest son, Stefan Müller, is a board member of Theo Müller Group.^[7]

In 1995, Müller survived a kidnapping attempt in which a pistol and electrical-shock equipment was held to his head. He jumped out of the car, and was working again later that afternoon.^[8]

He has lived in Erlenbach, near Zurich, Switzerland since 2003.^[1] In an interview with Der Spiegel in 2003, Müller explained that he and his children were all moving to Switzerland to avoid having to pay Germany's 30% inheritance tax.^[8]

Müller has been accused of being close to right-wing or extremist ideology on several occasions. This rumor was first reported by the Munich magazine Wiener in 1989.^[9] However, both Müller and the company have publicly stated that neither are close to any right-wing parties.^{[10][11][12][13]}