‘Nazi Billionaires’ by investigative journalist David de Jong exposes the dark history of how Germany’s most affluent families – the Quandts, the Flicks, the von Fincks, the Porsche-Piechs – amassed fortune and power by enabling the horrors of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, while charting how their lasting wealth has earned them positions of influence within some of the world’s biggest brands. 

Their legacy lies in ubiquitous consumer goods and car brands beloved around the world like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce.

The ultra-secretive Reimann family owns the majority stake in companies like: Snapple, Dr Pepper, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Peet’s Coffee, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Keurig Green Mountain, Panera Bread, and Pret A Manger. They also have their foot firmly in the luxury fashion market with Bally and Jimmy Choo. 

Meanwhile, the Oetker empire includes Germany’s largest beer brewer, Radeberger, in addition to a portfolio of the world’s most exclusive luxury hotels like Hotel du Cap- Eden- Roc, Le Bristol Paris, and The Brenners Park Spa Hotel in Baden- Baden, Germany.

The book details how a few opportunistic tycoons enriched themselves on corruption, cruelty, and the spoils of virulent anti-Semitism. They expanded their empires by forcibly taking over Jewish-owned assets in a process known as ‘Aryanization’ and increased profit margins through free slave labor from concentration camps. Continue reading →