Grant and Gordon family
Spirit manufacturers the Grant and Gordon family take fifth place in our countdown of the top richest people in the food and drink industry, with assets estimated at £1.4bn.
The firm started when William Grant went door to door selling his distilled whisky – it took him 181 attempts to sell his first bottle.
Although Grant died in 1923, his legacy lives on, with Grant’s selling over 54M bottles of whisky each year in over 180 countries.
The family also owns 30% of Highland Distillers, which is majority-held by the Erdington Group and has brands including Famous Grouse.
The Erdington Group was ordered to pay a £40,000 fine, after safety breaches forced two workers to flee a warehouse fire last February.