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101. Illinois Tool Works
Original Headquarters: Glenview, Illinois
Purchased By: N/A
Country: Multinational (Made In)
Illinois Tool Works produces pretty much every tool, from specialty products to engineered components. The company brings in over $14 billion in revenue each year, and its subsidiaries include names like Instron and the Hobart Corporation. The global industrial company makes its products in worldwide factories, having come a long way from the small Glenview business it once was.
Illinois Tool Works ©Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com
ITW does business in fifty-three countries across the world, and it has over 45,000 employees. Patent-wise, it has 18,000 pending and granted patent applications. The global brand has eighty-five subsidiaries through its seven different business sections (of which automotive OEM is the largest).
102. Verizon
Original Headquarters: New York City, New York
Purchased By: AT&T (Partially)
Country: Multinational (Made In)
Verizon is the United States’ second-largest wireless carrier. It has 120.9 million subscribers and counting, and it was founded in the late nineties through a merger of Bell Atlantic and Vodafone, a British company. Though Bell Atlantic started as a small American telephone company, it grew rapidly.
Verizon ©Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
Verizon Communications boasts revenues in the hundreds of billions, much of which comes from its wireless networks. The company is often in tough competition with AT&T. Though Verizon is headquartered in New York City, it is incorporated a little way south in Delaware, like many of the corporations on this list.
103. Sotheby’s
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: Patrick Drahi
Country: Israeli
Though Sotheby’s was founded in London in 1744 (before America was even a country yet), it is headquartered in New York City. The British-founded American MNC is one of the largest brokers in the world for fine, decorative art, collectibles, jewelry, antiques, and more. Obviously, Sotheby’s wouldn’t have the success it has had if it relegated itself only to America. The company is owned by Israeli-French businessman Patrick Drahi.
Sotheby’s ©freemind-production/Shutterstock.com
It has eighty locations in forty countries, though it still retains a significant presence in England. For all of its sales, Sotheby’s takes a 10% income. That can be quite lucrative, as the broker makes $400 million a year.
104. Harvey Nichols
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: Dickson Concepts
Country: Hong Kong
Harvey Nichols was headquartered in London, England, and it has developed a huge presence around the world as one of the largest department stores in the U.K. The luxury department store sells designer goods for men and women, as well as beauty products, luxury foods, fine wines, and fashion accessories.
Harvey Nichols @harveynichols/Facebook
Now, Harvey Nichols is owned by Dickson Concepts, a luxury goods company from Hong Kong. The purchase seems to have paid off for the department store as, despite the worldwide retail decline in 2020, the company made a 22.5% profit, thanks to its strong sales in Taiwan and China.
105. MG Rover
Original Headquarters: Birmingham, U.K.
Purchased By: SAIC Motor Company
Country: China
For a while, MG Rover Group was the last domestically-owned car manufacturer in England. Headquartered in Birmingham, the automaker was formed when carmaker BMW sold part of its assets to Phoenix Consortium in 2000. The company produced cars like the MG ZT until 2005, when it ceased operations.
MG Rover @MGRoverCustomCarParts/Facebook
Now, the company is headquartered in London, and it is a subsidiary of SAIC. SAIC Motor U.K., in turn, is owned by SAIC Motor, a Chinese, state-owned company based in Shanghai. Many Brits were sad to see MG Rover leave the country, as it marked the end of domestically-produced cars in England.
106. Rio Tinto
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: Aluminum Corporation of China (11%)
Country: China
Rio Tint, a global mining company, has quite a few shareholders. It doesn’t have a lot of shareholders in the Rio Tinto Group, its parent company, but its largest shareholder is the Chinese corporation, Aluminum Corp. of China. ACC owns 11% of Rio Tinto. Founded in England, Rio Tinto is the second-largest mining and metals corporation in the world, following only behind BHP.
Rio Tinto @CreativeMurdock/Twitter
It produces gold, uranium, copper, diamonds, and iron ore. Bringing in $63.5 billion in revenue a year. Rio Tinto has been around for over a century and a half, and the publicly-traded company has 45,000 employees.
107. Kent & Curwen
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: Trinity Ltd.
Country: China
Founded in London, this menswear retailer has been in business since 1926, marking nearly a century of selling clothing. The company first made a name for itself by selling ties to Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Then, it introduced its first cricket sweater in the 1930s, and the company took off from there.
Kent & Curwen @londonfashionweek/Facebook
Trinity Ltd., a Hong Kong conglomerate, owns Kent & Curwen now. In 2021, Trinity Ltd. went through bankruptcy, as it amassed tens of millions of losses in a short time. When RSM Hong Kong, along with R&H Services, were hired to liquidate Trinity Group, K&C had to cease trading in the U.K.
108. Delphi Corp
Original Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan (G.M.)
Purchased By: Aptiv P.L.C.
Country: Ireland
Delphi is the former arm of G.M., and it has been shedding its conventional car businesses since it was spun off by General Motors into a separate company. Delphi Automotive System went defunct, and, in its place were Delphi Technologies and Aptiv.
Delphi Corp ©Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Delphi Technologies was purchased by BorgWarner, who owns 84% of the company, which trades on the NYSE. Aptiv, by contrast, is not an American company anymore. Aptiv is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and it brings in nearly $13.1 billion in revenue a year. The automotive tech supplier is a worldwide leader in the industry of vehicle electronics and transportation components.
109. Alliance HealthCare Services Inc
Original Headquarters: Irvine, California
Purchased By: Akumin Corp.
Country: Canada
Alliance Healthcare Services is a leading provider for outsourced procedures and other treatments. It is headquartered in Irvin, California, and it is owned by Akumin Corp., a company based in Toronto, Canada. The radiology and oncology company sold for $820 million to Akumin in 2021.
Alliance HealthCare Services Inc @leahfindstalent / Twitter
Akumin has companies in the U.S. and Canada. It is a leading provider of fixed-site, freestanding diagnostic centers in America, with ninety-five imaging centers across the country. Before Akumin bought Alliance, Tahoe Investment Group, a Chinese company, bought it for $178 million. As you can see, Tahoe made quite a profit when they resold Alliance.
110. Volvo
Original Headquarters: Gothenburg, Sweden
Purchased By: Geely Automobile
Country: China
Volvo U.S.A. is a common sight in America, and millions of people drive these station wagons, SUVs, and sedans. The company’s main claim to fame is its marketing, as well as its Swedish design and heritage. Though Volvo U.S.A. is prominent here, the company is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Volvo @BeyondTarmac/Twitter
Volvo is a Swedish company at heart, but its current owner is Chinese. The luxury automaker was actually owned by Ford between 1999 to 2010 as part of its Premier Auto brand before Geely Automobile, a major car brand in China, took over Volvo. Despite changing hands, Volvo has kept its reputation as a maker of safe family cars.
111. Club Med
Original Headquarters: Paris, France
Purchased By: Fosun Group
Country: China
Club Med was founded in 1950 as a tourism and travel operator. Gerard Blitz founded the company after opening a low-priced tent colony in Majorca. He marketed this getaway through Club Med. Now, the travel company is known for its all-inclusive holidays. Club Med has destinations all over the world on nearly all of the continents.
Club Med ©JPstock / shutterstock.com
The first Club Med was built in Salerno, Italy, and the villages were very simple. Members stayed in straw huts on the beach, sharing communal bathrooms. Obviously, Club Med has come a long way since then, offering high-end villas. Since 2013, Club Med’s biggest owner is Fosun Group, a Chinese conglomerate.
112. Cerruti
Original Headquarters: Paris, France
Purchased By: Trinity Ltd.
Country: China
Cerruti 1881 is a luxury brand that sells jeans, sportswear, watches, leather goods, fragrances, and accessories. It was founded by Nino Cerutti in 1967 in Paris, France. Cerruti has grown to become a well-known fashion company, and it was purchased by Trinity Ltd., a Hong Kong business, before the parent company went into liquidation.
Cerruti @cerruti.official/Facebook.com
Fashion Network said that, luckily for Cerruti 1881, not much “truly changed” for the business when Trinity went into liquidation. The luxury label is still in flux, waiting for a decision from the Hong Kong court about whether it will also be liquidated. Until that decision comes through, Cerruti 1881 plans to trade as usual through its licenses.
113. The Dreyfuss Group
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: International Volant Limited
Country: China
The Dreyfuss Group was founded in the early 1900s, and it is known for repairing watches, jewelry, and clocks. The Group was incorporated in the mid-1950s, and it has its headquarters on London’s Regent Street. Decades after it was first founded, the Dreyfuss Group was purchased by International Volant Limited, a company that formed in 1993.
The Dreyfuss Group @RotaryWatches/Twitter
IVL is owned by China Haidian, a watchmaker that previously dealt with jewelry and precious metals. The company owns quite a few subsidiaries, many of which are in the timepiece industry. The Dreyfuss Group has still kept its London HQ, despite being purchased by a Chinese-owned subsidiary.
114. Inter Milan
Original Headquarters: Milan, Italy
Purchased By: Suning Holdings
Country: China
Founded in 1908 in Milan, Italy, Inter Milan is one of the world’s most famous soccer teams. It plays at San Siro Stadium, the largest stadium in Italian soccer, with a capacity of nearly 76,000. The F.C. is owned by Suning Holdings Group Co., a privately-held Chinese company that has over 300,000 employees and brings in $104.45 billion in revenue a year.
Inter Milan @AlbicelesteTalk/Facebook
Suning Holdings was the unlisted part of Suning Group, and it was founded in 1990 by Zhang Jindong. Suning owns 68.55% of Inter Milan. LionRock Capital owns 31.05%, and Pirelli owns 0.37%. Other shareholders make up the remaining 0.03%.
115. Tommee Tippee
Original Headquarters: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, U.K.
Purchased By: Ping An Insurance
Country: China
Tommee Tippee sells a wide range of baby products, including items for diaper-changing, breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and more. Tommee Tippee is based in the U.K. ‘s Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and it is owned by Mayborn Group. Mayborn Group, in turn, is a subsidiary of Ping An Insurance, a Chinese insurance company.
Tommee Tippee @TommeeTippeeCG/Twitter
Tommee Tippee was quite the buy for Ping An, as it is the fifth-largest baby care company in the world. The baby care company has factories in China, Morocco, and Mansfield, and it employs more than 1,200 workers. As you might expect, the majority of T.T.’s bottles are made in China.
116. Miss Sixty
Original Headquarters: Italy
Purchased By: Trendy International Group
Country: China
Miss Sixty is an Italian brand that was founded by Wicky Hassan in 1991. Miss Sixty is famous for its denim and accessories. Miss Sixty had an American presence for a while, but it had to close a lot of its stores in 2010. Two years later, Trendy International Group, a Chinese company, bought Miss Sixty.
Miss Sixty @MissSixty/Facebook
Trendy International was founded in 1999, and it owns quite a few brands, including Trendiano, Five Plus, and Ochirly. The fashion group is present in nearly 300 cities around the world, and it operates over 3,000 stores. Trendy International teamed up with SuperGroup Plc to expand the latter’s SuperDry brand into China
117. London Taxis International
Original Headquarters: Coventry, U.K.
Purchased By: Geely U.K. Ltd.
Country: China
London Taxis International was founded in 2013 as a subsidiary of Geely Automobile, a Chinese car company. London Taxis International made taxis until 2014, when it ceased operations. London Taxis International was formerly traded as The London Taxi Company.
London Taxis International @addict_car/Twitter
Now, L.T.I. is better known as LEVC, the London EV Company Limited. Geely rescued the company from bankruptcy in 2013, and it built a new, $300 million plant in Coventry in 2015. Though L.T.I. has been through a lot of name and ownership changes, it has managed to be successful, particularly in the production of EV taxicabs, a relatively niche industry.
118. Gieves & Hawkes
Original Headquarters: London, England
Purchased By: Trinity Ltd.
Country: China
Gieves and Hawkes, a formerly-British company, is yet another label to be hit by Trinity Ltd.’s liquidation. Gieves & Hawkes is a Savile Row brand, and the British tailor is facing permanent closure. Trinity Group, its Chinese owner, was sent into liquidation, and the firm behind the liquidation, RMS, attempted to find buyers for Trinity’s subsidiaries.
Gieves & Hawkes @Gieveslondon/Facebook
So far, there have been no takers, and the 251-year-old company is currently on shaky footing. Right now, it has forty-five stores in twenty-five cities. Gieves and Hawkes is one of the world’s oldest bespoke tailoring businesses, and it would be a shame to see it close for good.
119. SMPC
Original Headquarters: Manila, Philippines
Purchased By: DMCI Holdings
Country: China, Philippines
SMPC is a mining company based in the Philippines but owned by DMCI Holdings, Inc. SMPC (Semirara Mining & Power Corporation) is the country’s biggest coal producer, making up 92% of coal production as of 2015. SMPC began expanding to the foreign market in India, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand in 2007.
SMPC @SMPCEmpoweringOthers/Facebook
DMCI Homes, its parent company, is owned by DMCI Holdings which was founded by Chinese-Filipino businessman Isidro Consunji. DCMI was incorporated in the mid-1990s to consolidate a group of construction, construction companies, and related businesses. DCMI was listed on the P.S.E. in 1995, and the company rakes in hundreds of millions in revenue a year.
120. Sunseeker
Original Headquarters: Poole, U.K.
Purchased By: Wanda Group
Country: China
Sunseeker International is famous for its performance motor yachts. Sunseeker was originally called “Poole Power Boats,” as it was headquartered in Poole in the U.K. when it was founded in the late 1960s. Sunseeker International changed its name in the mid-1980s and, since then, it has become a worldwide icon. Sunseeker’s yachts have been featured in four different James Bond movies, including Quantum of Solace.
Sunseeker @sunseekerinternational/Facebook
Now, Sunseeker is owned by the Wanda Group. Wanda Group is a huge entertainment and commercial property conglomerate in China, and it brought Sunseeker for $495 million in 2013. Though rumors circulated in 2018 that Wanda was looking to sell the brand, CEO Phil Popham shut those down.
121. Addax Petroleum
Original Headquarters: France
Purchased By: Sinopec Group
Country: China
Addax Petroleum was founded in the mid-1990s as part of AOG. Addax has been a subsidiary of China’s Sinopec Group since 2009. Sinopec is one of the country’s biggest gas and oil producers. It is Asia’s largest oil refiner and, worldwide, it ranks third in the industry. Addax has most of its holdings in the North Sea, Middle East, and Africa.
Addax Petroleum @AkinbodeTa/Twitter
Two years after China bought Addax, the company was producing 140,000 barrels of oil daily. Though the company has been through its ups and downs (including its CLO and CEO getting arrested in Switzerland in 2017), the company has consistently managed to rake in billions in revenue every year.
122. Triple H Coal
Original Headquarters: Jacksboro, Tennessee
Purchased By: TPI
Country: China
As MarketWatch put it, China “d[ug] into American coal mines” with this purchase. Triple H Coal is a mining company in Campbell County, Tennessee. It owns the rights to 125 square kilometers of land and the coal beneath it. In 2011, Triple H Coal was bought by TPI, a Chinese company.
Triple H Coal ©Photomarine/Shutterstock.com
This purchase was funded by the Questmark Mining Rights Investment Fund, which loaned TPI the capital. TPI is far from the only Chinese company trying to get coal assets in America. Datang, Shenhua, Huadian, Qinfa Group, China Coal Solution, and China Coal are also attempting to acquire coal mining assets in America.
123. Ray-Ban
Original Headquarters: Rochester, New York
Purchased By: EssilorLuxottica
Country: France and Italy
Ray-Ban was created in 1936 by the well-known eyewear company Bausch & Lomb (B&L). Throughout the years, B&L released Ray-Bans of all shapes and sizes. Most notably, Aviator-style shades-which have become more than just eyewear for pilots.
Ray Ban ©Aleksandrs Muiznieks/Shutterstock.com
When opportunity comes knocking, one would be a fool not to listen. In 1999, Italian eyewear industry giant Luxottica Group reportedly offered B&L $640 million for the Ray-Ban brand. The New York-based company accepted the offer and handed over the rights to one of the biggest sunglass brands in the world.
124. SeaWorld
Original Headquarters: Orlando, Florida
Purchased By: Zhonghong Zhuoye Group Co.
Country: China
SeaWorld is a place for people to see the marine life they’ve always dreamt of seeing live. With locations worldwide, Busch Entertainment Group was responsible for the parks and their operational procedures until 2009, when Blackstone Group purchased the marine park and assumed responsibility.
SeaWorld ©VIAVAL TOURS/Shutterstock.com
Not ten years later, in 2017, the parks were sold once more. This time in a public offering in which Zhonghong Zhuoye Group Co. of China purchased a significant share. Trouble struck SeaWorld’s ownership again 2 years later when Zhonghong Zhuoye Group Co. defaulted on its loans and was forced to relinquish its part of the company.
125. Oreo
Original Headquarters: New York City, New York
Purchased By: 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway
Country: Brazil
Oreos. A Favorite past-time snack of children nationwide. A biscuit that helped redefine the way cookies were eaten. Wouldn’t you know it, Oreos and its parent company, Kraft Heinz, haven’t been 100% American owned for a few years now.
Oreo ©DenisMArt/Shutterstock.com
In 2015, three years after Kraft Foods’ renaming to Mondelez International, Kraft and another king of the food industry, Heinz. However, Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian 3G Capital owned Heinz at the time of the merger, therefore, making the new Kraft Heinz Company half Brazilian.
126. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!
Original Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland
Purchased By: Unilever
Country: England
Developed in 1979 by the Maryland-based J.H. Filbert company, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! is a spreadable butter-like substitute that had done everything possible to fool diners into believing they were eating butter, when in fact, they were not.
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter ©ZikG/Shutterstock.com
By the early 2000s, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! was even topping margarine in sales in America and showed no signs of letting up. Unfortunately, J.H. Filbert’s one-of-a-kind spread was no longer American-owned by that time. The company and all of its assets were acquired by Unilever nearly 2-decades earlier, in 1986.
127. NextVR Inc
Original Headquarters: Newport, California
Purchased By: CITIC Group Corp
Country: China
Virtual Reality has been at the forefront of technological desires for decades. While several companies are attempting to get a foot in the door, NextVR is already sitting in the conference room with the big players. And why is that? Because a foreign investor injected a ton of cash into the business when it was still young.
NextVR Inc ©IgorGolovniov/Shutterstock.com
Beijing-based CITIC Group Corp was that foreign investor, and it made a $20 million gamble on NextVR that paid off big time. Apple bought the VR company in 2020, but it cost the tech giant $100 million to do so.
128. Sara Lee
Original Headquarters: Downers Grove, Illinois
Purchased By: Grupo Bimbo
Country: Mexico
Sara Lee is a name Americans have added to their dinner lists since before World War 2. The baked goods company was founded in 1939 in Illinois, and its ownership remained 100% American for eight decades. However, everything changed in 2010, when the Mexican-based Grupo Bimbo paid $959 million for Sara Lee’s fresh bakery division.
Sara Lee ©ZikG/Shutterstock.com
Believe it or not, the massive deal was great for both sides. Grupo Bimbo took over an already successful operation, and Sara Lee used the almost $1 billion it received to focus entirely on its frozen desserts and meat departments.
129. Woolrich
Original Headquarters: Pennsylvania
Purchased By: W.P. Lavori
Country: Italy
Woolrich has been manufacturing clothing so long that its origins pre-date the American Civil War. Amazingly, production in its Pennsylvania location began nearly two hundred years ago. The company is even responsible for suturing clothing for the President Lincoln-led Union army.
Woolrich ©JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock.com
However, times change. And so do the ownerships of most companies. In 2016, fourteen years shy of its two hundredth birthday, Woolrich was acquired by Italian-based W.P. Lavori. The flagship Pennsylvania plant began the process of closing permanently in 2018, and most of the company’s products are now being made in China and Southeast Asia.
130. Brooklyn Nets
Original Headquarters: New Jersey
Purchased By: Joseph C. Tsai
Country: Taiwan/Canada
The Brooklyn Nets sent waves across the basketball world a few years ago when the team signed two players, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to massive contracts worth more than $300 million combined. These deals—now considered total wastes—would not have been possible without the deep pockets of the team’s non-American then-owner, Russian-Israeli billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov.
Brooklyn Nets ©Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Prokhorov purchased the Nets from American philanthropist Bruce Rather in 2010, ending a 42-year streak of American ownership for the former New Jersey-based team. Ownership changed once again when Taiwanese-Canadian businessman—and Alibaba Group co-founder—Joseph C. Tsai acquired the Nets in the fall of 2019.
131. Vaseline
Original Headquarters: Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Purchased By: Unilever
Country: England
The Chesebrough Manufacturing Company was founded in 1859 by chemist and Brooklyn, New York native Robert Augustus Chesebrough. A little over a decade following the formation of his company Robert created what the world now knows as Vaseline. Believe it or not, the idea came to him when he saw oil workers using refined rod wax to help ease the discomfort caused by burns and rashes.
Vaseline ©Mashka/Shutterstock.com
The petroleum jelly known as Vaseline had been an American-owned brand for more than eighty years before Unilever purchased its parent company (the recently merged Chesebrough-Ponds) in 1987.
132. Oscar Mayer
Original Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Purchased By: 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway
Country: Brazil
If your bologna had a first name when you were young, it was most likely O-S-C-A-R. Likewise, its last name was probably, M-A-Y-E-R. Kids in the United States have been raised on Oscar Mayer wieners and other meats for more than one hundred years. However, the meat company isn’t as American as it used to be.
Oscar Mayer ©Lee O/Shutterstock.com
Oscar Mayer and all of its products, including the beloved Lunchable line, belong to the Kraft Heinz Company, which happens to be an umbrella company for Brazilian 3G Capital and BRK.
133. French’s
Original Headquarters: Rochester, New York
Purchased By: Reckitt Benckiser
Country: England
French’s condiments have been accompanying meals in the United States dating back to the first mustard the R.T. French Company made, way back in 1904. A little more than two decades after it had produced its first product, French’s was acquired by the UK-based J. & J. Colman in 1926.
French's ©JJava Designs/Shutterstock.com
While expanding and diversifying its portfolio, this classic American brand remained in British hands for the remaining years of the 20th century. However, unlike the other products on this list, French’s has returned home. In 2017, McCormick & Company brought French’s back to America.
134. Pocket Gems Inc
Original Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Purchased By: Tencent
Country: China
Before mobile phones evolved into the magic boxes they are today, mobile gaming consisted of attempting to dominate your friends’ scores in Snakes or making as far as you could in one of the few memory-based games that existed at the time. But that was then, and this is now. And now, mobile gaming is one of the most profitable industries around.
Pocket Gems Inc @officesnapshots/Pinterest
San Fran-based Pocket Gems Inc has been making waves in the mobile gaming world for quite some time, but even industry vets need a cash infusion now and then. In 2017. Shenzhen-based Tencent added to its 20% stake in Pocket Gems Inc by incorporating another $90 million of its wealth into the company. Upping its ownership percentage to 38%.
135. Fisker Automotive Inc
Original Headquarters: Anaheim, California
Purchased By: Wanxiang
Country: China
America has remained one of the world’s largest car producers throughout the years and has had several of the industry’s best minds working on ways to constantly improve the vehicles’ designs. As the world has switched focus to “going electric,” American electric car companies like Fisker Automotive used the genius of their resident techies to top the class yet again.
Fisker Automotive Inc ©T. Schneider/Shutterstock.com
The only thing is, the Anaheim-based Fisker Automotive isn’t American-owned anymore. Despite creating an eco-friendly luxury electric vehicle, Fisker went under in 2014, only to be purchased by China’s Wanxiang Group. The Chinese company has since resurrected Fisker’s pride and joy, the electric Fisker Karma, for the new generation of electric car drivers.
136. Chips Ahoy!
Original Headquarters: New York City, New York
Purchased By: 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway
Country: Brazil
Chips Ahoy! cookies made their entrance onto the cookie scene in 1963 and are now stocked on shelves in nearly one hundred countries globally. Along with Oreos, these Nabisco-produced snacks have come across as American as a cookie can be, but they’re not all they appear to be.
Chips Ahoy! ©JJava Designs/Shutterstock.com
Although they continue to be sold in stores across America, Chips Ahoy! has changed ownership over the years and is currently the property of Mondelēz International, another of Kraft Heinz’s subsidiaries owned by parent companies Berkshire Hathaway and Brazilian 3G Capital.
137. Eureka Brand
Original Headquarters: Medford, Massachusetts
Purchased By: Midea Group
Country: China
Founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1909, Eureka brand appliances have been helping to keep American homes clean for more than a century. And it all got started because of the company’s groundbreaking and affordable devices. Eureka lasted nearly seven decades in American hands before being acquired by AB Electrolux of Sweden.
Eureka Brand @people/Pinterest
Eureka is not as popular as Whirpool, but the brand has continued to sell well internationally. As a result of its continued success, the China-based appliance conglomerate Midea Group acquired Eureka, thus moving the brand even further from home.
138. American Idol
Original Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
Purchased By: Fremantle
Country: England
Whether you’re a fan of talent-based reality TV or not, it’s nearly impossible not to have heard of American Idol by now. The series has been running since the early 2000s and has jump-started the musical careers of dozens of talented Americans, helping them achieve their ‘American Dreams.’
American Idol @American Idol/Facebook
However, American Idol isn’t as American as its viewers might think. It premiered in The States and is filmed in The States, but American Idol is, in fact, a British-owned program. The series is owned by London-based FremantleMedia. If you want to go even deeper, Fremantle is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, a multinational German conglomerate.
139. Hot Pockets
Original Headquarters: Arlington, Virginia
Purchased By: Nestlé
Country: Switzerland
Are you in a hurry with insufficient time to prepare a gourmet meal for lunch? Perhaps you’re looking for a stuffed pastry sandwich to eat on the go? If so, Hot Pockets are what you’re looking for. David and Paul Merage, founders of Chef America Inc. created a calzone-ish snack called a Tastywich. In 1983, the stuffed pastries were rebranded as Hot Pockets.
Hot Pockets @Hot Pockets/Facebook
For the next 20 years, Hot Pockets thrived in the stuffed food industry. They even survived attacks from similar products such as Pizza Pops and Pizza Pockets. Due to the Swiss-run Nestlé, which had finalized a deal to acquire Chef America in May 2022, the great American Hot Pocket hasn’t been US-Owned since Q1 of 2002.
140. Zulily Inc
Original Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Purchased By: Alibaba Group
Country: China
Whether you’re looking for a new pair of pants for casual Friday or a toy for the little one’s birthday, the Seattle-based e-commerce company Zulily has it all — kinda. Zulily doesn’t actually carry any stock but ships from fulfillment centers similar to companies like Amazon.
Zulily Inc @SoundersFC/Twitter.com
The e-commerce company has been doing so well that foreign investors have been slowly chipping away at the percentage of the American-owned company. Already the owner of 5% of Zulily, in 2015, Alibaba Group acquired an additional 4.8 million shares of the company.
141. Kraft Mac & Cheese
Original Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Purchased By: Brazilian 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway
Country: Brazil
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, or Kraft Dinner (as those north of the border knows it) has been a staple food for high school and university students North America-wide for decades. It’s by no means the most nutritional food around, but it is easy to make and quite affordable. Fun fact: Canadians consume nearly 25% of the 365 million Kraft Mac & Cheese boxes sold globally.
Kraft Mac & Cheese @Kraft Mac & Cheese/Facebook
These days, Canada’s favorite easy-to-make pasta is owned by the Brazilian-owned 3G Capital, which—along with Berkshire Hathaway—acquired the Kraft Heinz Company for $23 billion in 2013.
142. Mochi Media Inc
Original Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Purchased By: Shanda Games Ltd
Country: China
15,000. 40,000. 140 million. Chronologically, those figures are the games, publisher websites, and active monthly users Mochi Media had at the peak of its business operations. Unbeknownst to many of its users, however, this now non-existent game publishing company wasn’t as homegrown as they might have thought.
Mochi Media Inc ©Wikipedia.org
Although its headquarters were in San Francisco, Mochi Media Inc’s parent company, Shanda Games Ltd, was a few thousand miles away, across the Pacific, in Shanghai, China. Shanda is also responsible for dissolving Mochi Media in 2014 when the gaming company ran into financial trouble it couldn’t rebound from.
143. EIG Global Energy Partners
Original Headquarters: EIG Global Energy Partners
Purchased By: China Investment Corp
Country: China
The energy sector sees more foreign investors and owners than almost any other sector. Following years of success, the economic crisis of 2007/2008 left EIG Global Energy Partners hanging on by a thread (as much of a thread as a multi-billion-dollar company could hang on by).
EIG Global Energy Partners ©T. Schneider/Shutterstock.com
Then came China Investment Group to the rescue. And all it took was an unknown percentage of the company, although it’s believed to be a minor stake at most. EIG is now one of the many international companies China Investment Corp has purchased stakes in, including South Africa’s Shanduka Group and the UK-based Thames Water.
144. Klondike
Original Headquarters: Mansfield, Ohio
Purchased By: Unilever
Country: England
In 1922, a local Ohioan dairy company, the Isaly Dairy Company, changed the ice cream bar landscape by introducing the Klondike bar. Over the next half century, the stickless ice cream treat became one of the most popular of its kind in Ohio and Pennsylvania but was yet to reach the masses.
Klondike @Klondike/Facebook
It wasn’t until after Clabir Company’s owner, Henry Clarke, made Isaly an offer it couldn’t refuse, in 1976, that Klondike became a household name nationwide. During Clarke’s tenure as the owner of Klondike, profits increased from less than $1 million to over $60 million annually. In 1993, Klondike found a new home once again when it was acquired by a British-owned Unilever.
145. Ritz
Original Headquarters: New York City, New York
Purchased By: 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway
Country: Brazil
Although the Jackson Cracker Company first developed a product similar to what is now known as Ritz crackers, it wasn’t until Nabisco acquired the Michigan-based cracker company in 1919 that it had a platform large enough to make itself known to the world.
Ritz (Crackers) @Ritz Crackers/Facebook
Nabisco is now owned by MLDZ, an American-based company. However, Mondelez is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company. A company partly owned by 3G Capital, a Brazilian company.
146. Coca-Cola
Original Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Purchased By: N/A
Country: International
Coca-Cola is surely the most famous carbonated soft drink in the world—and over the years it has become available in every country in the world, apart from Cuba and North Korea. Coca-Cola was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia, and it was advertised as a remedy for headaches.
Coca-Cola @CocaColaGEO/Facebook
In 1892, businessman Asa Griggs Candler purchased the Coca-Cola brand and formed The Coca-Cola Company. Nowadays, however, The Coca‑Cola Company is public and it trades its shares on New York City’s stock exchange. As of writing, Berkshire Hathaway, The Vanguard Group, and BlackRock are some of the company’s biggest investors.
147. Heinz
Original Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Purchased By: Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital
Country: USA/Brazil
Heinz was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869—and over a century later it is still the most well-known sauces and condiments brand. According to InvestorPlace, the Ketchup brand is the leading in its industry on a global scale. The brand claims to sell 650 million bottles of Heinz ketchup every year.
Heinz @heinz/Facebook
Since 2015, the majority owners of Heinz are Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital. In 2015, the company was merged with Kraft Foods becoming Kraft Heinz which has its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
148. Yum Brands
Original Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Purchased By: N/A
Country: USA
Yum! Brands is the fast food corporation behind famous chains like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. While it is still American, according to InvestorPlace, The company earned only 22% of its $3.7 billion in revenues in the United States—the rest is from its international market. Yum! Brands may still be an American-based company, but it makes a majority of its profits outside the country.
Yum Brands @yumbrands/Facebook
As of writing, the majority stockholders of Yum! Brands are T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (10.56%), The Vanguard Group, Inc. (7.55%), and BlackRock Fund Advisors (4.69%). In 2022, Yum! Brands has over 40,000 restaurants in 135 nations and territories worldwide.
149. Apple
Original Headquarters: Cupertino, California
Purchased By: N/A
Country: USA
The American multinational technology company Apple Inc. is one of the most famous production companies of electronics, software, and online services. Together with Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, the company forms the Big Five American IT companies.
Apple ©chingyunsong/Shutterstock.com
However, Apple doesn’t manufacture much in the United States anymore. Of course, outsourcing to a chapter country is something most multinational companies are familiar with, and Apple produces a majority of its products in China and India. According to Four Week MBA, as of 2021, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway is the majority stakeholder of Apple with 5.56% of the company’s stock.
150. Sardines
Original Headquarters: N/A
Purchased By: N/A
Country: N/A
Sardine canning was a popular industry in the ’50s on both US coasts. At the time, sardines were affordable and easily accessible which made them a staple in American households. However, the sardine industry has undergone a lot of change since then.
Sardines ©Nedim Bajramovic/Shutterstock.com
Nowadays, the sardine shortage is mostly a consequence of the way that climate change affects migration patterns. According to the 2020 stock assessment by NOAA Fisheries, in the Pacific, sardine is overfished. Apart from this, people have slowly moved on to other canned foods, which is why the country’s final sardine cannery in Maine closed down in 2010.
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