Robert Budi Hartono was born in 1941 at the city of Semarang, Central Java, Dutch East Indies and was the 2nd child of Oei Wie Gwan and Goei Tjo Nio.
Starting from Mr. Oei Wie Gwan bought a small business in the field named Djarum clove gramophone. In 1951 it changed its name to Djarum. Oei began marketing cigarettes under the brand “Djarum” which turned out to be successful in the market. After a fire nearly gutted the company in 1963 (Oei died shortly afterward), Djarum back up and modernize their equipment in the factory. In 1972 Djarum began to export their product abroad. Three years later the brand Djarum Djarum Filter was introduced, the first brand to be produced by machines, followed by the brand Djarum Super, introduced in 1981.
Together with his brother, Michael Hartono, at the age of 22 Robert inherited one of the leading cigarette company today, Djarum. Djarum was previously a small business called Djarum gramophone which was later purchased by his father, Oei Wie Gwan, in 1951 and changed its name to Djarum. Robert and his brother inherited Djarum after his father died. At that time, Djarum’s factory burned down and suffered an unstable condition. But in the hands of the two Hartono brothers, Djarum could grow into giants.
In 2022, according to American business magazine, Forbes, Budi Hartono’s net worth reportedly reached US$23.2 billion and he was noted as the richest Indonesian and 71st richest person in the world.
According to Wikipedia and forbes.com
