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Bill Gates Bought a $940 Million Stake in Heineken Even Though He's 'Not a Big Beer Drinker.' The purchase gives him ownership of 3.76% of the company's shares.

By Jonathan Small

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Bill Gates has brewskis on the brain.

The billionaire acquired close to a billion-dollar stake in Heineken Holding NV, giving him 3.7% of the Dutch company's shares.

The filing by the Netherlands' Financial Markets Authority (AFM) said the Microsoft founder bought 10.8 million shares on February 17, worth about $939.87 million. The transaction happened the same day that Heineken's major Mexican shareholder, Femsa, sold billions of euros worth of shares.

According to Bloomberg, Femsa has indicated that it plans on selling all its shares in Heineken within two to three years.

Related: Bill Gates Shuts Down Conspiracy Theory About Owning Farmland. No 'Grand Scheme Involved.'

Not a big beer guy

Despite the enormous investment in Heineken, Gates had admitted beer isn't really his thing.

During an "Ask Me Anything" chat on Reddit a few years ago, he was asked what his favorite beer was.

"I am not a big beer drinker," Gates wrote. "When I end up at something like a baseball game, I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers. Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers."

Heineken is not the only Dutch company Gates has invested in. He's also purchased shares in online supermarket Picnic, and has an interest in OCI, a fertilizer producer.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® VIP

Founder, Write About Now Media

Jonathan Small is an award-winning author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

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