Wolfgang Herz Net Worth

Wolfgang Herz has an estimated net worth of $6.3 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Wolfgang Herz profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $4.5 billion in 2019.

Wolfgang Herz is a German businessman who, together with his brother Michael, owns a large share of two famous German companies, Tchibo and Beiersdorf. Born in 1950, he is the son of Max and Ingeburg Herz. He lives in Hamburg, the city where his family's coffee business grew into a household name across Germany.

The story starts with his father. In 1949 Max Herz and Carl Tchilinghiryan founded Tchibo to import and sell coffee. Max had the idea of opening shops where customers could both drink coffee and buy it over the counter, a model Forbes describes as a forerunner to Starbucks. After Max passed away in 1965, the business stayed in the family, and Wolfgang later became one of its main owners.

How Wolfgang Herz makes money

Herz's fortune flows through maxingvest ag, the family holding company. It controls 100% of Tchibo and around 47% of the voting shares of Beiersdorf. Tchibo began with coffee but has since expanded into selling many other goods and services, including clothing and electronics. Beiersdorf owns well-known skin care brands such as Nivea and Eucerin.

Ownership was simplified in 2003. That year, Wolfgang, his mother and his brother Michael bought out his older brother Guenter and his sister Daniela Herz-Schnoeckel. The deal left Wolfgang and Michael as the main family owners of the holding company. Because Beiersdorf is a listed company, part of his fortune moves with its share price, while Tchibo is privately held.

How Forbes has valued Wolfgang Herz

Forbes estimated Herz at $4.5 billion in 2019, then $4.8 billion in 2020 and $5.1 billion in 2021. His figure dropped to $4 billion in 2022, before a sharp rise to $6.1 billion in 2023. It then climbed again to $7.9 billion in 2024. With a large stake in Beiersdorf, his estimate rises and falls partly with that company's stock.

More recently, Forbes put him at $7.4 billion in 2025 and $8.1 billion on its 2026 World's Billionaires List, the highest figure in this period. As of October 20, 2026, its real-time billionaires tracker showed a lower $6.3 billion. Even after that drop, his estimate remains well above where it stood in 2019, supported by two companies with brands known across Germany and beyond.