The Wertheins are an important family of entrepreneurs in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

who own and control the

Werthein Group Grupo Werthein (''Werthein Group'') is a holding company based in Argentina. It is owned and controlled by the Werthein family. Its activities began more than 100 years ago in the agribusiness sector. History León Werthein emigrated from Bass ...

. The Werthein family, headed by Leon Werthein, his wife Raquel and five of their children emigrated to Argentina from

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

in 1904, and settled in rural Miguel Riglos,

La Pampa Province La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza. History In ...

Agriculture

Three of Leon Werthein's sons; Gregorio, Numo and Noel (1911–2002), started a company in 1928 dedicated to manage

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...

, and have maintained farming interests in Argentina ever since. ''Gregorio, Numo y Noel Werthein SA'' was founded in 1959 and includes extensive

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

and

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

processing holdings. Its agricultural holdings include over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of land and over 45,000

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

, distributed in the Provinces of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, La Pampa, Santa Fe and San Luis. They produce

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion. A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...

candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

sunflower oil Sunflower oil is the non-volatile oil pressed from the seeds of the sunflower (''Helianthus annuus''). Sunflower oil is commonly used in food as a frying oil, and in cosmetic formulations as an emollient. Sunflower oil is primarily composed ...

, black beans,

red beans Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste * Kidney bean, red variety of '' Phaseolus vulgaris'', c ...

, and

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

as well as a Ranch division that specializes in developing high-quality

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

in the following breeds of cattle: Angus and Hereford (south), Brangus and Braford (North). The fruit area produces

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

es,

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

s in dried form and as a

fruit juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...

concentrate.

Banking and services

Julio Werthein (born April 7, 1918) has been involved in the Argentine banking sector since 1940.

Banco Mercantil Argentino

In 1963 ''Julio Werthein'' and his brothers established the ''Banco Mercantil Argentino''. This bank was founded on September 18, 1928 as ''Banco Israelita Argentino SA'', and renamed as ''Banco Mercantil Argentino SA'' on October 4, 1940. In 1998, the Banco Mercantil Argentino, with ''Banco Caja de Ahorro'' (Savings Bank), merged. In 2000, Banco SUDAMERIS Argentina acquired the Banco Caja de Ahorro, and after several subsequent mergers and organizational reforms, the Banco Mercantil is now the new ''

Banco Patagonia Banco Patagonia is an Argentine commercial bank headquartered in Buenos Aires. The company operates in the individual, as well as small and medium-sized business banking segments, and has currently more than 775,000 clients. Banco Patagonia was e ...

'', though the Werthein family no longer holds shares therein. In 1995, the ''Fundacion Banco Mercantil Argentino'' was established for the support of music, literature and fine arts.

Los W SA

Numerous holdings of the Wertheins are managed under ''Los W SA'' aegis.

Caja de Ahorro y Seguro - Insurances

The ''Caja de Ahorro y Seguro'' and its subsidiaries is one of the largest insurance companies in Argentina. President: Adrian Werthein (born on January 18, 1952).

Telecom Argentina

The Wertheins acquired 48 percent of ''Sofora Telecomunicaciones SA'' in 2005 for 125 million euros from

France Telecom Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 59,000 elsewhere. In 2015, ...

, which in turn holds a 68% stake in ''Nortel Inversora SA'', as well as 55% stake in

Telecom Argentina Telecom Argentina S.A. is the major local telephone company for the northern part of Argentina, including the whole of the city of Buenos Aires. Briefly known as ''Sociedad Licenciataria Norte S.A.'', it quickly changed its name, and is usually kn ...

Other holdings

Los W Group is a private holding company that owns and manages a well-diversified portfolio of companies in Argentina, with total revenues of approx. US$4,2 Bn and 21.500 employees. During the 20th century, the Group has successfully invested in agribusiness, telecommunications, financial services, gas and energy distribution, oil & gas, textile, vineyards and real estate. Los W has become a very prestigious and well-known group within the business community as a consequence of its strong local presence, excellent track-record, experience in several industries, and a persistent low profile. The Group strongly believes in its successful strategy based on the combination of international first tier institutional investors or a strategic player in partnership with a local prestigious and experienced group (i.e. Leucadia and Generali in Caja de Ahorro y Seguro; Telecom Italia in Telecom Argentina and Standard Bank in Standard Bank Argentina).

Family business history

Leon Werthein emigrated from Russia in 1904 and came to Argentina, following difficult times in that empire, especially for Jewish people. The family settled in the countryside and started out a living from scratch, and fifty years later moved to the city to provide for the education of the children and the growth of the business. It is important to note that the growth of the family lead to two different processes of family separation. The first one was in 1973 and the second one in 1992. The descendants of Noel Werthein plus one cousin constitute what today is the W Group, heirs of the original family business. *1904: Leon Werthein arrives to Argentina, settling down in Riglos (Province of La Pampa). *1928: Three of Leon’s sons, Gregorio, Numo and Noel, created a company dedicated to manage agribusiness. *1959: Foundation of Gregorio, Numo and Noel Werthein (“GNNW”), which consolidates and manages the agribusiness investments of the Group. Nowadays, GNNW owns land in the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe and San Luis. *1963: Acquisition of Banco Mercantil Argentino, first investment in the banking sector. *1965: Creation of Citrex, a citric producer in the Provinces of Misiones, Formosa and Tucuman. *1970: Acquisition of Industrias del Vestir Argentino (“IVA”), the largest wool manufacturer company in Argentina jointly with Jaime Kaplan and Martha Werthein. *1979: Divestiture of Citrex. *1980: Acquisition of Finca Flichman, a vineyard with more than 100 years, in the Province of Mendoza. *Since 1990, Los W Group has been involved in the following transactions, among others. *1992 - Citicorp Equity Investments: Acquisition of 9.11% of CEI from Citicorp. CEI was the third largest group in Argentina with interests in telecommunications, utilities, media and other industries. In 1997 there was an additional acquisition of an 11.43% stake in CEI from Citicorp. CEI was involved in the acquisition and divestiture of several companies, including: *TGS – 1992 *Multicanal – 1994 *TyC Torneos y Competencias – 1997 *Hotel Llao Llao – 1997, etc. *1992: EDELAP is the energy distributor to the area of La Plata, and other locations, covering an area of 5.700 km². *1992/1998: YAR S.A. built and sold more than 160.000 sqm. in 3 important residential projects in Buenos Aires city (Torres de Figueroa Alcorta, Torres de Buenos Aires and Papelera Sarandí), among other buildings. *1994: Caja de Ahorro y Seguro is the leader company in the Argentine insurance market. Caja de Ahorro was later involved in several other transactions in the insurance and banking sectors. *1994: AFJP Activa – Anticipar was a private pension fund. *1996: Divestiture of AFJP Activa – Anticipar. *1997: Divestiture of Finca Flichman to Sogrape, a Portuguese wine and liquor producer. Finca Flichman was a vineyard acquired in the 1980s. *1997: Divestiture of Los W's stake in EDELAP to Houston Lightning & Power and Techint. *1998: 20.54% stake in CEI was sold to Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, a well known US private equity fund, and other investors. *2003: Acquisition of Telecom Argentina, one of the largest private sector corporations in Argentina. The incumbent provides fixed and mobile telephony and Internet services in Argentina and Paraguay. *2005: Acquisition from the founders of 100% of Cachay, a local infusion producer, which sells “mate” under the brand “Cachamate” and tea under a well known generic brand, “Cachamai”. *2007: Joint venture between GNNW, Petrosiel and Energial to explore, develop and produce hydrocarbon in the Salinas Grande I’s and Gobernador Ayala VI areas in the province of La Pampa, Argentina. *2007: Acquisition of Bank Boston's Argentinean branch from Bank of America. Standard Bank Argentina (ex Bank Boston Argentina) was the eight largest private bank in terms of assets, loans and deposits.

Members of Werthein family

* Gregorio Werthein (ca. 1908) - Agriculture * Numo Werthein (ca. 1910) - Agriculture : worked for the foundation ''Casa Argentina en Israel'' **Arnoldo (ca. 1930s) **Pablo Werthein **Marcelo (ca. 1948) **Ana Lia Werthein (23.10.1949 in Barrio Norte) - artist *Abraham Werthein (20.03.1911) and Sara Savloff de Werthein, 13.07.2010, ..Martha Werthein (22.01.1937) ..one son , Diego Kaplan ..Jorge Werthein (20.09.1941),married with Miriam Abramovay,; educator,international relations expert, former Director UNESCO USA and Brazil, currently at IICA. .. Five sons, Claudio, Paulo, Rodrigo, Gustavo and Lucas; 9 grandchildren, Noel Werthein (ca. 1911) - agriculture and bank manager ** Leo Werthein (born 17.12.1935 - died 15.06.2005) - cattle breeding *** 3 sons + 3 grandchildren ** Daniel Werthein (born September 1946) - Agriculture division and

president ** Adrian Werthein (born 18.01.1952) - bank manager * Julio Werthein (born 07.04.1918 - died 22.09.2013) - bank manager *

Gerardo Werthein Grupo Werthein (''Werthein Group'') is a holding company based in Argentina. It is owned and controlled by the Werthein family. Its activities began more than 100 years ago in the agribusiness sector. History León Werthein emigrated from Bass ...

(born 03.12.1955) (nephew of Julio Werthein) - bank manager, elected President of the

Argentine Olympic Committee The Argentine Olympic Committee or COA ( - COA) is the National Olympic Committee representing Argentina's athletes in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Pan American Games and the South American Games. It is based in Buenos Aires. ...

in 2009.''La Nación''
/ref> *** Sara Werthein **** Gregorio Werthein * Fanny Werthein (born 08.04.1907 - died 14.09.2000) ** Moisés Lissin (born 03.05.1929 - died 24.03.2011) ** León Lissin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werthein Family Argentine businesspeople Argentine families Jewish families Argentine Jews Bessarabian Jews Argentine billionaires Argentine people of Russian-Jewish descent Argentine people of Romanian-Jewish descent Businesspeople in agriculture