Rausing family
Encyclopedia
The Rausing family is a wealthy Swedish
family, best known for the Tetra Pak
founder Ruben Rausing
. Several now live in the United Kingdom
.
. Ruben studied at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration and at Columbia University
in the United States
, from which he received the degree of Master of Science
in 1920. Back in Sweden
later that same year, he became a director of Esselte
.
In 1921 he changed his surname to Rausing, in 1929, becoming a partner in a packaging company, Åkerlund & Rausing. In 1933 he bought out the other partners shares
. In the early 1940s, he had the idea of manufacturing packaging for liquid products. But it was only when the chemist
Erik Wallenberg
in 1944 made his groundbreaking invention of the tetrahedron
-shaped card container that the project took off.
The company was inherited by two of his sons Hans
and Gad Rausing. In 1996, Hans sold his half of the Tetra Laval
Group to his late brother, Gad Rausing, for a reported $7 billion. Gad's children Jörn, Finn and Kirsten now own and control the Tetra Laval Group.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
family, best known for the Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
founder Ruben Rausing
Ruben Rausing
Ruben Rausing was the founder of the liquid food packaging company Tetra Pak. He was born in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1895. On his death Ruben Rausing was Sweden's richest person.-Early life:...
. Several now live in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
The son of the small business owners August Andersson and Mathilda Fredrika Svensson, Ruben Andersson (later Rausing), was born 1895 in Raus, HelsingborgHelsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
. Ruben studied at the Stockholm School of Economics and Business Administration and at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from which he received the degree of Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1920. Back in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
later that same year, he became a director of Esselte
Esselte
Esselte is privately held company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. It is a holding company, specializing in office products. It owns several companies, including Pendaflex, Leitz, Oxford, Xyron, Rapid, and an operating company also called Esselte....
.
In 1921 he changed his surname to Rausing, in 1929, becoming a partner in a packaging company, Åkerlund & Rausing. In 1933 he bought out the other partners shares
Share (finance)
A joint stock company divides its capital into units of equal denomination. Each unit is called a share. These units are offered for sale to raise capital. This is termed as issuing shares. A person who buys share/shares of the company is called a shareholder, and by acquiring share or shares in...
. In the early 1940s, he had the idea of manufacturing packaging for liquid products. But it was only when the chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
Erik Wallenberg
Erik Wallenberg
Erik Wallenberg was a Swedish researcher, and as an employee of the Tetra Pak company invented the first Tetra Pak packaging in 1944....
in 1944 made his groundbreaking invention of the tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
-shaped card container that the project took off.
The company was inherited by two of his sons Hans
Hans Rausing
Hans Rausing, KBE, is a Swedish businessman based in the United Kingdom. He made his fortune from his co-inheritance of Tetra Pak , a company founded by his father Ruben Rausing and currently the largest food packaging company in the world...
and Gad Rausing. In 1996, Hans sold his half of the Tetra Laval
Tetra Laval
Tetra Laval is a private multinational corporation of Swedish origin, owned by the Rausing family. In the 1980s Tetra Laval relocated its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland....
Group to his late brother, Gad Rausing, for a reported $7 billion. Gad's children Jörn, Finn and Kirsten now own and control the Tetra Laval Group.
Notable family members
- Ruben RausingRuben RausingRuben Rausing was the founder of the liquid food packaging company Tetra Pak. He was born in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1895. On his death Ruben Rausing was Sweden's richest person.-Early life:...
(1895–1983), son of the August Andersson, businessman and industrialist, founder of Tetra PakTetra PakTetra Pak is a multinational food processing and packaging company of Swedish origin. It was founded in 1951 in Lund, Sweden, by Ruben Rausing. It was Erik Wallenberg who invented the tetrahedral package, today known as Tetra Classic...
.- Elisabeth Rausing, wife of Ruben Rausing
- Gad Rausing (1922–2000), son of Ruben & Elisabeth Rausing, businessman.
- Birgit RausingBirgit RausingBirgit Rausing is a Swedish art historian and philanthropist, and the widow of Gad Rausing .In 1944 her father-in-law Ruben Rausing founded Tetra Pak, which revolutionized the packaging of liquids such as juices and milk. The company was inherited by his sons Gad and Hans. In 1996, Gad bought...
(born 1924), widow of Gad Rausing.- Kirsten RausingKirsten RausingKirsten Rausing is the eldest child of Swedish industrialist Gad Rausing and his wife Birgit . She is the grand-daughter of Ruben Rausing who was the founder of the liquid food packaging company Tetra Pak...
(born 1952), daughter of Gad & Birgit Rausing, businesswoman and racehorse owner/breeder. - Finn Rausing (born 1955), son of Gad & Birgit Rausing, businessman.
- Jörn Rausing (born 1960), son of Gad & Birgit Rausing, businessman.
- Kirsten Rausing
- Birgit Rausing
- Hans RausingHans RausingHans Rausing, KBE, is a Swedish businessman based in the United Kingdom. He made his fortune from his co-inheritance of Tetra Pak , a company founded by his father Ruben Rausing and currently the largest food packaging company in the world...
(born 1926), son of Ruben & Elisabeth Rausing, businessman.- Marit Rausing, wife of Hans Rausing
- Lisbet RausingLisbet RausingDr Lisbet Rausing, born 1960, is a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College’s Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. She holds honorary doctorates from Uppsala University, Imperial College and SOAS, and is a fellow of the Linnean Society, the Royal Historical Society and the...
(born 1960), daughter of Hans & Marit Rausing, philanthropist. - Sigrid RausingSigrid RausingSigrid Rausing is a Swedish philanthropist, anthropologist and publisher. She is the founder of the Sigrid Rausing Trust, one of the United Kingdom's largest philanthropic foundations, and owner of Granta magazine and its publishing arm, Granta Books.Rausing grew up in Lund, Sweden, and studied...
(born 1962), daughter of Hans & Marit Rausing, philanthropist.- Eric Abraham, husband of Sigrid Rausing
- Hans Kristian RausingHans Kristian RausingHans Kristian Rausing, born 1963, is the son of Swedish packaging businessman Hans Rausing. He is married to an American named Eva Kemeny. Together they have donated millions of pounds to various charities, most notably Drug Awareness and Addiction Prevention charities...
(born 1963), son of Hans & Marit Rausing- Eva Kemeny, wife of Hans K. Rausing
- Lisbet Rausing
- Marit Rausing, wife of Hans Rausing
- Gad Rausing (1922–2000), son of Ruben & Elisabeth Rausing, businessman.
- Elisabeth Rausing, wife of Ruben Rausing