Bunge vs PepsiCo: Founders, CEOs and History
Bunge was founded in 1818 by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge and is led by Gregory A. Heckman. PepsiCo was founded in 1965 by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay and is led by Ramon Laguarta.
Company facts
Founders
Bunge
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge founded Bunge & Co. in Amsterdam in 1818 as an import-export house.
PepsiCo
Caleb Bradham
Caleb Bradham created "Brad's Drink" at his New Bern pharmacy in 1898, renamed it Pepsi-Cola and incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902.
Donald M. Kendall
Donald M. Kendall led Pepsi-Cola and engineered its 1965 merger with Frito-Lay to form PepsiCo, which he ran as CEO until 1986.
Herman W. Lay
Herman W. Lay (1909-1982) started his career as a snack food salesman. In 1932, he opened a snack food operation in Nashville, Tennessee, eventually purchasing the manufacturer and renaming it H.W. Lay & Company.
CEOs and their tenures
Bunge
- Alberto Weisser1999–2013
Chief Executive Officer
Weisser led Bunge as it moved its headquarters from São Paulo to the New York area and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2001, then through the 2002 Cereol acquisition that made it the world's largest soybean processor.
Source - Soren Schroder2013–2019
Chief Executive Officer
Schroder became CEO in June 2013. His tenure included a takeover approach from Glencore in 2017 and a reported approach from ADM in January 2018.
Source - Gregory A. Heckman2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
Heckman joined Bunge's board in October 2018, when activist investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain pushed for change, became acting CEO on 22 January 2019 and CEO in April 2019.
Source
PepsiCo
- D. Wayne Calloway1986–1996
Chief Executive Officer
He more than doubled PepsiCo's revenues during his tenure and heavily invested in the restaurant division before it was later spun off.
Source - Roger Enrico1996–2001
Chief Executive Officer
He dramatically simplified the company's structure, allowing it to focus resources on its core grocery and convenience store distribution networks.
Source - Steven Reinemund2001–2006
Chief Executive Officer
He oversaw significant international expansion and revenue growth, setting a strong operational foundation before handing leadership to Nooyi.
Source - Indra Nooyi2006–2018
Chief Executive Officer
Under her 12-year tenure as CEO, PepsiCo's revenue grew by more than 80%, and she fundamentally reshaped the company's identity from a junk-food purveyor to a diversified global food and beverage giant.
Source - Ramon Laguarta2018–present
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
He sustained strong organic revenue growth and protected operating margins through historically challenging supply chain conditions, while committing the company to major sustainability and packaging reduction goals.
Source
Timeline: Bunge and PepsiCo side by side
1818Bunge
Bunge & Co. founded in Amsterdam
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge set up Bunge & Co. in Amsterdam as an import-export trading house, the business that still carries his name.
1859Bunge
Edouard Bunge moves the firm to Antwerp
The founder's grandson Edouard Bunge relocated the company to Antwerp, Belgium, one of Europe's busiest ports for colonial and grain trade.
1884Bunge
Bunge y Born launched in Argentina
Ernest Bunge and the Born family started a grain trading company in Buenos Aires as Argentina emerged as a major grain exporter. Bunge y Born grew into elevators, flour mills and export logistics.
1898PepsiCo
Pepsi-Cola Invented in North Carolina
Caleb Bradham formulated the original digestive cola syrup in his drugstore.
1905Bunge
Expansion into Brazil
Bunge extended its South American business into Brazil, which later became its most important origin for soybeans.
1918Bunge
Trading begins in North America
Bunge started trading in North America, the world's largest agricultural market.
1965PepsiCo
Historic Merger of Pepsi-Cola & Frito-Lay
Donald Kendall and Herman Lay created PepsiCo, uniting snacks and soft drinks.
1975PepsiCo
Launch of the Pepsi Challenge
National blind taste tests shook Coca-Cola's market dominance and redefined advertising.
1997Bunge
Ceval makes Bunge Brazil's top soy processor
After a 1993 to 1997 restructuring that refocused the group on agribusiness, Bunge acquired Ceval, the largest soybean processor in Brazil. Acquisitions and organic growth over the next seven years made it the largest soy processor in South America.
1997PepsiCo
Restaurant Business Spun Off
PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC) as Tricon Global Restaurants, now Yum! Brands, in 1997.
1998PepsiCo
Acquisition of Tropicana ($3.3B)
Acquired chilled orange juice leader Tropicana to dominate morning beverages.
2001Bunge
NYSE listing and a US headquarters
Bunge Limited listed on the New York Stock Exchange in August 2001 under the ticker BG and moved its headquarters from São Paulo to the New York area, ending 183 years of private ownership.
2001PepsiCo
Acquisition of Quaker Oats & Gatorade ($13.4B)
Acquired Quaker Oats, adding sports hydration pioneer Gatorade to the portfolio.
2002Bunge
Cereol acquisition
Bunge bought 55 percent of French oilseed processor Cereol from Italy's Edison for ~$508 million (449.2 million euros) and then the publicly held shares.
2005Bunge
First soybean plant in China
Bunge opened its first soybean processing plant in China, the world's largest soybean importer.
2006PepsiCo
Indra Nooyi becomes CEO
Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo in 2006. Chief executive of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018.
2010Bunge
Entry into sugar and ethanol
Bunge entered the sugar business in Brazil, a diversification it later moved into a joint venture with BP in 2019 and exited in 2024.
2011PepsiCo
Wimm-Bill-Dann Acquired
PepsiCo completed its acquisition of the Russian dairy and juice company Wimm-Bill-Dann in 2011.
2018Bunge
Loders Croklaan and a bicentennial
Bunge completed its purchase of 70 percent of IOI Loders Croklaan, a specialty palm and tropical oils business, for $946 million, and marked 200 years since its founding.
2018Bunge
Activist investors reshape the board
Under pressure from investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain, Bunge added three directors in October 2018, including Gregory Heckman. On 10 December 2018 it said CEO Soren Schroder would step down.
2018PepsiCo
Acquisition of SodaStream ($3.2B) & Ramon Laguarta Appointed CEO
Acquired SodaStream to pioneer eco-friendly dispensing; Ramon Laguarta took over as CEO.
2019Bunge
Gregory Heckman becomes CEO
Heckman was named acting CEO on 22 January 2019 and appointed chief executive in April 2019, starting a review of the portfolio and a shift to global value chains.
2019Bunge
Headquarters move to St. Louis and BP sugar venture
Bunge moved its global headquarters from White Plains, New York, to the St. Louis area and combined its Brazilian sugar and bioenergy business with BP's in a 50/50 joint venture.
2021Bunge
Chevron renewable feedstock venture announced
Bunge and Chevron announced a joint venture to supply soybean oil for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel from Bunge's crushing plants in Destrehan, Louisiana, and Cairo, Illinois.
2022PepsiCo
Strategic Distribution Alliance with Celsius ($550M)
Secured master global distribution for fast-growing energy brand Celsius.
2023Bunge
Added to the S&P 500
Bunge replaced Signature Bank in the S&P 500 effective 15 March 2023.
2023Bunge
Viterra merger agreed
On 13 June 2023 Bunge agreed to combine with Viterra, the grain handler owned by Glencore, CPP Investments and British Columbia Investment Management, for Bunge shares and about $2 billion in cash.
2023Bunge
Redomiciled to Switzerland
Bunge moved its place of incorporation from Bermuda to Switzerland in November 2023, becoming Bunge Global SA with a registered office in Geneva while keeping its headquarters in St. Louis.
2024Bunge
Exit from sugar and bioenergy
On 1 October 2024 Bunge completed the sale of its 50 percent stake in BP Bunge Bioenergia to bp, a stake valued at about $1.4 billion in enterprise value.
2025Bunge
Canada approves the Viterra deal with conditions
Canada's government approved the merger on 14 January 2025, requiring Bunge to sell six Western Canadian grain elevators, invest at least ~$374 million (C$520 million) in Canada within five years and keep a Canadian head office in Regina.
2025Bunge
North American corn milling sold
Bunge completed the sale of its North American dry corn and corn masa milling business to flour miller Grain Craft on 1 July 2025.
2025Bunge
Viterra merger completed
The Viterra merger closed on 2 July 2025 after China's approval. Glencore received about 32.8 million Bunge shares, 16.4 percent of the enlarged company, and about $900 million in cash.
2025PepsiCo
poppi Acquisition and Elliott-Backed Plan
Closed the $1.95 billion poppi deal and announced a North America cost and pricing reset in December.
2026Bunge
IFF soy protein and lecithin businesses acquired
On 2 March 2026 Bunge closed its purchase of IFF's soy protein concentrate, lecithin and soy crush businesses, including the Response, Alpha, Procon and Solec brands.
2026Bunge
Investor Day sets 2030 earnings target
At its 10 March 2026 Investor Day Bunge set a mid-cycle EPS baseline of about $13, a goal of at least $15 by the end of 2030 and a new $3 billion share repurchase programme.
2026Bunge
Guidance raised after a strong second quarter
Bunge reported second-quarter net income of $678 million on 29 July 2026, completed its $2 billion Viterra-related buyback and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $9.25 to $9.75.
2026Bunge
Sugar mills to be sold to COFCO International
On 1 September 2026 Bunge agreed to sell the Rio Vermelho and Nova Unialco sugarcane mills in São Paulo state, inherited from Viterra, to COFCO International, subject to regulatory approval.
2026PepsiCo
Price Cuts on Core Snacks
Lowered prices on major Frito-Lay brands by up to 15% to recover US volumes.
Acquisitions
Bunge
- IFF soy protein concentrate, lecithin and soy crush businesses2026Undisclosed
- Viterra Limited2025$8.2B
- IOI Loders Croklaan (70 percent stake)2018$946M
- Cereol S.A.2002$815M
- Ceval Alimentos1997Undisclosed
PepsiCo
- poppi2025$1.9B
- SodaStream International2018$3.2B
- The Quaker Oats Company (including Gatorade)2001$13.4B
- Tropicana Products1998$3.3B
Questions about Bunge vs PepsiCo
Who is the CEO of Bunge Global SA and PepsiCo, Inc.?
Bunge Global SA is led by Gregory A. Heckman and PepsiCo, Inc. is led by Ramon Laguarta. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Bunge Global SA founded vs PepsiCo, Inc.?
Bunge Global SA was founded in 1818 — 147 years before PepsiCo, Inc., which was founded in 1965. Bunge Global SA's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger PepsiCo, Inc..
How many employees does Bunge Global SA have compared to PepsiCo, Inc.?
Bunge Global SA employs approximately 34,000 people, while PepsiCo, Inc. employs approximately 306,000. PepsiCo, Inc. has the larger workforce at 306,000 employees, compared to Bunge Global SA's 34,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Bunge Global SA and PepsiCo, Inc. headquartered?
Both Bunge Global SA and PepsiCo, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Bunge Global SA and PepsiCo, Inc.?
Bunge Global SA was founded by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge. PepsiCo, Inc. was founded by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay.
Which company has a longer operating history — Bunge Global SA or PepsiCo, Inc.?
Bunge Global SA has been operating for approximately 208 years, making it the more established of the two companies. PepsiCo, Inc. has been in operation for around 61 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Bunge vs PepsiCo overview