Alfonso Fanjul Jr.
Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 |
| Alma mater | Fordham University |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, business executive |
| Known for | Chairman of Flo-Sun Land Corporation; prominent sugar industry figure |
Alfonso "Alfy" Fanjul Jr. (born 1937) is a prominent American billionaire entrepreneur and the oldest member of the Fanjul brothers, who oversee a sugar and real estate conglomerate valued at approximately US$8.2 billion. Alfy is recognized for his substantial political contributions to the Democratic Party, with the objective of preserving the federal price support policies that advantage the family-owned sugar enterprise, Domino Sugar.
Early life
As the firstborn of Alfonso Fanjul Sr. and Lillian Rosa Gomez-Mena, he earned a bachelor's degree from Fordham University located in New York.
Career
Following his father's passing in 1982, he assumed the role of chairman at Flo-Sun Land Corporation, the family’s holding entity. By 1987, his personal fortune was approximated at US$500 million.
Alfy and his brother, José Fanjul, possess dual citizenship in Spain and the United States. They maintain a close relationship with former King Juan Carlos and have openly indicated their readiness to welcome him at their various homes around the globe.
Personal life
His divorce from Tina Fanjul, the mother of his children, was legally finalized in Florida in 2000. Tina leads Tina Fanjul Associates Inc. Real Estate, established in 1977, which focuses on real estate transactions in southern Florida as well as the Dominican Republic.
Their daughter Crista holds a degree in marine biology from the University of Miami and is married to Allan "Tad" Ryan Jr.
The youngest daughter, Lillian, works as an interior designer and is married to Luis Fernandez. Fernandez acts as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Florida Crystals, a company owned by the Fanjul family, and also serves as co-president of American Sugar Refining.
Since at least 2010, he has been married to Raysa Fanjul.
Criticism
In his 2023 publication The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World, Swedish intellectual historian Johan Norberg highlighted that the Fanjul brothers receive roughly $65 million each year in subsidies supporting their sugar business. While Norberg criticized their strategic use of such subsidies to maintain political influence, he also noted they refrained from deepening political divisions by hosting fundraising events for both Trump and Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.