By Jesse Neo, PhDJun 4th, 2024
Meet Billy Busch Sr., a super rich boss who earned his fortune in the Anheuser-Busch beer business. With a net worth of over $200 million and unstoppable success, he's a symbol of determination and strength.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at his incredible life story - it's got highs and lows and everything in between. Starting small and dreaming big, find out what it really means to be a major player in St Louis!
Keep reading to learn about the inspiring life story of Billy Busch Sr, including stories of challenges and impressive successes.
Early Life
Billy Busch Sr., also known as William K. Busch, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1959. He is the great grandson of Adolphus Busch, the co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, which later became one of the biggest breweries globally.
Career
Although Billy Busch Sr. didn't work for the family business, he started his own beer company called Kräftig in 2011. Sadly, the company shut down in 2019. In 2020, Billy and his family appeared on the MTV reality show "The Busch Family Brewed" which ran for just one season.
Billy got noticed during his book tour in August 2023 for his book called "Family Reigns: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty". He's looking to purchase Bud Light from InBev after the company's bad PR incident in 2023 led to a big drop in sales.
Personal Life
Billy Busch Sr. is married to Christi Busch, and they have seven children together. Billy also has an eighth child from a past relationship. He has dealt with personal struggles, such as a tough child custody case in 1988, where he eventually gained full custody of his eldest daughter.
Anheuser Busch
William K. Busch was born in 1959 in St. Louis, Missouri. He is the great-grandson of Adolphus Busch.
Adolphus Busch was a German-born American businessperson who helped start Anheuser-Busch, which grew to be one of the biggest breweries globally. Adolphus was born in Mainz, Germany, in 1839, the youngest of 21 children. His dad was a wine merchant and brewer. In 1857, Adolphus moved to the United States to be with his older brother, Carl, who was living in St. Louis, Missouri.
Adolphus worked as a brewer's assistant for a few years before marrying Lilly Anheuser, the daughter of Eberhard Anheuser, the owner of the Anheuser Brewery. In 1865, Adolphus became a partner in the brewery. He quickly brought in some new ideas that made the company do well, like using refrigerated railroad cars for beer delivery, bottling beer, and pasteurizing beer to keep it fresh.
In 1876, Adolphus introduced Budweiser, a type of beer that many people in the United States really liked. He led Anheuser-Busch as it became a big brewery known around the world. Adolphus was also generous, giving money to schools and charities.
Adolphus Busch passed away in 1913. His son, August Busch Sr., took over and expanded the company. The Busch family led Anheuser-Busch until 2008, when InBev bought the company.
Here are some important family members related to Adolphus Busch:
August Busch Sr. (son): He was the boss at Anheuser-Busch from 1913 to 1934.
August Busch Jr. (grandson) was the boss of Anheuser-Busch from 1946 to 1975. He was the President and CEO during that time.
August Busch III, who is the great-grandson, was the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1975 to 1985.
August Busch IV, who is the great-great-grandson, was the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch from 1985 to 2002.
Billy Busch is one of 11 kids of August "Gussie" Busch Jr (highlighted in red above). Gussie was the owner of the St. Louis Cardinals. Anheuser-Busch later became the team owners and in 1995, sold the organization for $150 million.
Billy was August Busch IV's half-uncle. August Busch IV was the final family member to lead the company, as shown in green above.
Family Wealth
Between 1989 and 2008, the Busch family sold 25% of Anheuser-Busch to different investors in various transactions. In 2008, the company was bought by InBev, a Belgian-Brazilian company, for $52 billion. The family didn't want to sell, but since they no longer owned the majority shares, they couldn't stop the sale.
Today, the big Busch family (made up of hundreds of people) is worth a total of $17 billion. They are one of the richest families in America.
Even though people often call Billy Busch a billionaire, we believe his net worth is not in the hundreds of millions.
Kräftig
In 2011 Billy and his immediate family launched a brewery called Kräftig. The company was shuttered in 2019
Personal Life
Billy has seven kids with his wife Christi Busch. Billy has another child from before. Back in 1988, Billy was in a big custody fight with the mom of that kid. Billy ended up getting full custody. Years later, that child, named Scarlett, wrote on Facebook about feeling neglected and abandoned in her childhood, asking
"Who does he think he is, using his family's reputation to make himself look good after turning his back on his own daughter?"
Scarlett didn't join the family's reality show.
Billy's son, Billy Busch Jr., runs the outdoor company Geist. In August 2020, Billy Sr. bought Billy Jr. and his wife Kirra Seale Busch a home in Malibu, California for $2.7 million. In November 2023, Billy Jr. listed the home for sale for $4.45 million.
11-Year-Old Assault Incident
In 2018, in his late 50s, Billy admitted to a peace disturbance charge. He was accused of grabbing an 11-year-old boy and pushing him into a wall. The boy and Billy's son, who were on the same basketball team, had an argument during practice. Billy reportedly grabbed the boy, pushed him into the gym wall, and shouted:
"You jerk! What do you think you're doing to my child?"
He later said he was looking out for his child and stopping them from being picked on.
This was actually Billy's second time getting in trouble for fighting. Back in 1982, he was accused of hitting an employee through a fast food drive-thru window while sitting in his car. Fortunately, he was found not guilty during the trial.
Real Estate
Billy Busch lives in a big house that is 6,300 square feet on a 4.5-acre property in Ladue, Missouri.
Aside from the city, they also have a 700-acre farm with a big lake for boats and jet skis, along with over 50 horses.
Grant's Farm
Since 1903, the Busch family has owned an estate named Grant's Farm. They bought it from President Ulysses S. Grant. This farm is where you can find the popular Budweiser Clydesdale horses. Following a family dispute, Billy was forbidden from entering the property.
How much money does Billy Busch have?
Billy Busch Sr. is an American businessman and reality TV star with a net worth of $200 million. He made his money from the famous Busch beer family. In 2020, Billy and his family were on an MTV show called "The Busch Family Brewed". The series had 10 episodes in one season. Even though he didn't work for the family business, Billy Busch Sr. started his own beer company, Kräftig, in 2011. Unfortunately, it shut down in 2019.
After having disagreements with different members of the Busch family, both personally and in business, Billy was not allowed to visit Grant's Farm anymore. The farm is where the company's well-known Clydesdale Horses are looked after, and he isn't in touch with his siblings or half-siblings.
In August 2023, Billy created a buzz while promoting his newly published book "Family Reigns: The Extraordinary Rise and Epic Fall of an American Dynasty" during a book tour. He mentioned to multiple media outlets his interest in acquiring Bud Light from InBev after its sales dropped due to a major PR issue in 2023.
Components of Net Worth
Billy Busch Sr. makes most of his money from being part of the Busch family and creating his beer company Kräftig. His wealth comes from different assets and investments he's gathered over his career.
In simple terms, Billy Busch Sr. is worth $200 million. He made his money from the Busch beer family and his own beer company, Kräftig. Even with difficulties, he remains a key player in the business.
