The Most Surprising Brand Ownerships That Will Change How You Shop

Ownership Secrets Hiding in Plain Sight

Brand ownership is full of surprises. Companies you think of as competitors may share a parent. Luxury brands may be owned by companies you associate with budget products. And the conglomerate behind your morning coffee may also make your cat's dinner.

We have combed through our database of over 1,200 brands and 500+ companies to find the ownership connections that surprise people the most. Some of these will genuinely change how you think about the products you buy every day.

The Most Surprising Connections

1. Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, and Ducati Are All Volkswagen

When you think of Volkswagen, you probably think of the Golf or the Jetta. You probably do not think of $300,000 supercars. But Volkswagen Group owns:

• [Lamborghini](/brands/lamborghini): Italian supercar maker (Huracan, Urus, Revuelto)
• [Porsche](/brands/porsche): German sports cars (911, Cayenne, Taycan)
• Bentley: British ultra-luxury (Continental GT, Bentayga)
• Bugatti: French hypercar (Chiron, now part of Bugatti Rimac joint venture)
• Ducati: Italian motorcycles
• Audi: Premium German cars
• SEAT/CUPRA: Spanish automaker
• Skoda: Czech automaker

The "people's car" company owns more luxury and exotic car brands than any other automotive group in the world.

2. The Same Company Makes M&M's and Provides Veterinary Care

Mars, Incorporated is privately held by the Mars family and is worth an estimated $160+ billion. Most people know Mars makes candy: M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, and Skittles. Fewer know that Mars is also:

• The world's largest pet food company: Pedigree, Whiskas, Royal Canin, Iams, Nutro
• A major veterinary services provider: VCA Animal Hospitals (the largest chain of animal hospitals in North America), Banfield Pet Hospital, BluePearl Specialty
• A food brand owner: Uncle Ben's (now Ben's Original), Dolmite, Seeds of Change
• A chewing gum giant: Wrigley's (Orbit, Extra, 5 Gum, Juicy Fruit), Altoids, Skittles
• As of 2025: Owner of Kellanova (Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Eggo)

The company that makes your candy bar may also be the company that treats your sick dog.

3. Haagen-Dazs Is Not European

The name Haagen-Dazs sounds Scandinavian. The packaging has a map of Scandinavia. The accent marks suggest a Nordic origin. But Haagen-Dazs was created in the Bronx, New York, in 1961 by Polish-American immigrant Reuben Mattus. He invented the name to sound "Danish" because he associated Denmark with quality dairy products.

The brand is now owned by Nestle, a Swiss company. So a fake-Scandinavian ice cream brand, created by a Polish-American in New York, is owned by a Swiss conglomerate. Nothing about Haagen-Dazs is what it seems.

4. Old Spice Is Owned by the Same Company as Tampax

Old Spice, the men's grooming brand famous for its "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" commercials, is owned by Procter & Gamble. P&G also owns Tampax, Always, and other feminine care products. The same corporate parent markets hypermasculine body wash and feminine hygiene products, often to people in the same household.

P&G's portfolio also includes Pampers (babies), Bounty (paper towels), Tide (laundry), Charmin (toilet paper), and Crest (toothpaste). It is the ultimate "everything in your house" company.

5. Samsung Builds Warships and Skyscrapers

Most people know Samsung as a smartphone and TV company. But Samsung Group is one of South Korea's largest conglomerates, and its subsidiaries include:

• Samsung Heavy Industries: Builds oil tankers, container ships, and offshore platforms
• Samsung C&T: Constructed the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building
• Samsung Life Insurance: One of Korea's largest insurers
• Samsung SDI: Makes batteries for electric vehicles
• Samsung Biologics: Biopharmaceutical manufacturing

Samsung accounts for approximately 15-20% of South Korea's GDP. The company that made your phone also helped build the tallest building on earth.

6. Dove Soap and Hellmann's Mayonnaise Are Siblings

Dove, the beauty and personal care brand known for its "Real Beauty" campaign, and Hellmann's, the world's best-selling mayonnaise, are both owned by Unilever. Unilever's portfolio is wildly diverse:

• Beauty: Dove, Vaseline, TRESemme, AXE
• Food: Hellmann's, Knorr, Magnum ice cream
• Home care: Domestos, Seventh Generation
• Tea (formerly): Lipton (now a joint venture)

The company behind your moisturizing body wash is the same company behind your sandwich condiment.

7. Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs Were Once Siblings

Before Nestle acquired Haagen-Dazs, the ice cream brand belonged to General Mills (along with Pillsbury, which acquired the Haagen-Dazs brand). General Mills also makes Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Nature Valley, Yoplait, and Annie's. During this period, the same company was selling both "healthy" breakfast cereal and premium ice cream.

After Nestle acquired the international Haagen-Dazs rights and General Mills retained U.S. rights, the brand's ownership became split geographically, another surprising complication.

8. Warren Buffett Owns Duracell, Dairy Queen, and Fruit of the Loom

Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's legendary investment conglomerate, owns a collection of consumer brands that have almost nothing in common:

• Duracell: Batteries
• Dairy Queen: Fast food ice cream
• GEICO: Auto insurance
• Fruit of the Loom: Underwear and basics
• See's Candies: Chocolate
• Benjamin Moore: Paint
• Pilot Flying J: Truck stops

The world's most famous investor profits every time you buy batteries, eat a Blizzard, insure your car, or put on underwear.

9. Coca-Cola Owns a Dairy Brand

The Coca-Cola Company is known for soda and beverages. But through its acquisition of fairlife in 2020 (for $1 billion), Coca-Cola now owns a premium dairy brand. fairlife's ultra-filtered milk products generate over $1 billion in annual revenue.

The company behind the world's most famous sugary drink now also sells premium milk. Coca-Cola's portfolio also includes Costa Coffee (making it one of the world's largest coffee companies), BodyArmor sports drinks, Topo Chico mineral water, and dozens of other non-soda beverages.

10. The World's Largest Eyewear Company Also Owns Your Eye Insurance

EssilorLuxottica, formed by the 2018 merger of France's Essilor and Italy's Luxottica, is the world's largest eyewear company. It owns:

• Luxury frames: Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, Oliver Peoples
• Fashion licensed brands: Chanel eyewear, Prada eyewear, Versace eyewear, Armani eyewear
• Lens manufacturing: Essilor, Varilux, Transitions
• Retail chains: LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, Pearle Vision, Target Optical
• Vision insurance: EyeMed

One company makes the frames, manufactures the lenses, runs the retail store where you buy them, and provides the insurance that pays for them. It is the most vertically integrated consumer brand story in the world.

Why These Surprises Exist

Conglomerates Are Invisible

Most consumers interact with individual brands, not corporate parents. P&G, Unilever, and Mars do not put their corporate names prominently on product packaging. The connection between Dove and Hellmann's is invisible at the shelf level.

Acquisitions Happen Quietly

When Samsung Heavy Industries builds a ship, it does not make the news the way a Galaxy phone launch does. When Mars acquires a veterinary hospital chain, most candy consumers never hear about it. Acquisitions that expand a company into unrelated categories happen behind the scenes.

Brand Identity Is Carefully Managed

Companies deliberately maintain separate brand identities to avoid confusing consumers. P&G does not want you associating Old Spice with Tampax. Mars does not want you connecting Snickers with veterinary bills. Keeping brands separate is a deliberate strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find out who owns a brand?

Use WhoBrands to search any brand and find its corporate parent, ownership history, and related brands.

Why do companies own such different brands?

Conglomerates grow through acquisitions targeting profitable businesses regardless of category. A company may buy a pet food brand and a candy brand because both generate strong cash flows, not because they are related products.

Does the parent company affect the product?

Not directly in most cases. Each brand has its own product development, marketing, and quality standards. However, the parent company's management philosophy, cost-cutting approach, and investment priorities can influence long-term brand health.

The Bottom Line

Brand ownership is full of connections that defy consumer expectations. The luxury supercar maker and the economy hatchback share a parent. The body wash and the mayonnaise are corporate siblings. And the company that makes your candy may also perform surgery on your pet. Understanding these hidden connections helps you see the corporate reality behind the brands you interact with daily.

Discover more surprising brand connections on WhoBrands.

Sources

1. Volkswagen Group. "Brands and Models." volkswagen-group.com 2. Mars, Incorporated. "Our Brands." mars.com 3. Unilever. "Our Brands." unilever.com 4. Procter & Gamble. "Our Brands." us.pg.com 5. EssilorLuxottica. Annual Report 2024.

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com's research methodology. Last updated: February 7, 2026.