The sale of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. to Mars has an obvious winner. William Wrigley Jr., the great-grandson of the chewing gum company's founder, saw the value of his shares swell by about half a billion dollars Monday.  According to the February filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, billionaire Wrigley owns 34.1 million shares and options in the Chicago company. Based on early-morning trading, the sale has increased the value of Wrigley's stake by $498.1 million.  Longer term, look for the billionaire buyers to reap even greater rewards. Early Monday, Mars, which is closely held by the wealthy Mars family, said it had agreed to buy Wrigley (nyse: WWY - news - people ) for $80 per share. The total value of the offer, including the assumption of long-term debt, is $22.9 billion. In addition to the Mars family, billionaire Warren Buffett will take a stake in Wrigley through his Berkshire Hathaway (nyse: BRKA - news - people ).  Mars, which makes candy like Snickers and M&M's, is privately held by the secretive Mars family. Thanks to their stake in the candy maker, Forbes estimated the net worth of Forrest Mars Jr., Jacqueline Mars and John Mars at $14 billion each in March.  The trio's grandfather started baking chocolates from his kitchen in 1911. Today Mars has expended into pet foods, rice and drink vending equipment and is the eighth-largest private company in the U.S., with annual sales of $21 billion.  The purchase of Wrigley will further cement Mars' position as the world's largest candy maker and put it in a better position to compete with rivals like Hershey (nyse: HSY - news - people ). It will also offer Mars synergy opportunities at a time when cost control becomes increasingly important because of rising ingredient costs. Both of those benefits could help increase the value of the Mars family's company.  Assuming the deal receives approval from shareholders and regulators, Berkshire Hathaway will issue about $4.4 billion of debt to help finance the deal. It will also pay $2.1 billion to acquire a minority stake in the Mars subsidiary that will house Wrigley.  "Those of you who know me know that I have been a big fan of Wrigley's business model for many years, and I love their products," Buffett said Monday. "When you think of a business that's easy to understand, with favorable long-term economics and able and trustworthy management--you think of Wrigley."
Sale of the Wrigley chewing gum company to Mars family and Warren Buffett could make Bill Wrigley $500 million richer.