Bhimji Depar Shah and family
- Net worth $390 million
- Status -
- Country Kenya
- Source(-s) of wealth Businessman, Entrepreneur
How much is Bhimji Depar Shah and family Worth? Bhimji Depar Shah and family Net Worth in 2026
The net worth of Bhimji Depar Shah and family is estimated at $390 million as of November 2026. The family owns Bidco Africa, the Thika maker of cooking oils, fats, soaps and snacks that is named after him. The last turnover the family discussed in public was $500 million, back in 2014, when Bidco held over 60 percent of Kenya’s cooking fat market and 54 percent of its cooking oil market.
| Net worth | $390 million (our estimate, range $250 million to $700 million) |
|---|---|
| Born | 1931, Mombasa, per his biography (Bhimji Depar Shah, about 95; a 2014 report gave his age as 85, which would make him about 97) |
| Country | Kenya |
| Known for | Founding family of Bidco Africa |
| Main income sources | Ownership of Bidco Africa: edible oils and fats, soaps and personal care, food, drinks and snacks |
How much is Bhimji Depar Shah and family worth in 2026?
We estimate $390 million for the family as a whole. Bidco is private and publishes no accounts, so we value it from its last public turnover using the market value of a listed soap and personal-care maker. This is a rough estimate: little of the money is documented, the sales figure is twelve years old, and the family does not publish how the shares are split between the founder and his sons Vimal and Tarun.
How we got to $390 million
| Source | Our estimate | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Bidco Africa | $388 million | Turnover of $500 million (stated in 2014), valued at 0.78 times sales, the ratio of PZ Cussons’ market value (GBP 420.49 million) to its revenue (GBP 541.4 million) on November 10, 2026. |
| Debt | $0 | None published. We deduct nothing, which is one reason the range runs lower than our figure. |
| Total | $390 million | $388 million before rounding. |
Built from a clothing business
Bidco grew out of the ashes of the patriarch’s clothing business and carries his name, Business Daily reported in 2014, when he was 85 and still doing administrative work. His son Vimal Shah joined in the 1980s and grew the company with his younger brother Tarun, who looked after day-to-day operations. An early stop was a petrol station in Nyeri. He started Bidco Industries as a garment maker in 1970, switched it to soap in 1985 and opened an edible oil plant in Thika in 1991, according to his biography. The company bought Elianto from Unga in 1998 and took over Unilever’s edible oil business four years later.
Today it supplies more than 17 African countries with edible oils and fats, hygiene and personal care products, food and drinks, Business Daily reported in March 2025. That month it moved into breakfast cereals and snacks by buying the Fillows, Shapies, Elbbin and Nibble brands from Groupaco Holdings, at an undisclosed price. Vimal Shah is executive chairman.
The 400 percent plan
In 2014 Vimal Shah set a target of 400 percent growth by 2018, which would have taken turnover to about $2.5 billion. Our calculation: at the same 0.78 times sales, a $2.5 billion Bidco would be worth about $1.9 billion, five times our figure. Nothing we found shows it got there. That gap between ambition and published numbers is the main reason our range is so wide, and it cuts both ways.
The yardstick matters too. PZ Cussons, a listed soap and personal-care maker, traded at 0.78 times sales on November 10, 2026. Bidco sells soap too, but most of its market share is in cooking oil and fat, so the multiple is a stand-in rather than a match.
Why other estimates disagree
Public estimates for the family vary widely and rarely show a sales figure. Higher ones tend to assume Bidco hit its growth targets. Ours sticks to the last turnover figure the company stated and says plainly that it is old.
What would move the figure
A current turnover number is the single biggest lever: every extra $100 million of sales adds about $78 million at our multiple. Published debt would push the other way. The 2025 snacks acquisition adds revenue we cannot yet size.
Shah family net worth FAQ
How much is the Shah family behind Bidco worth?
About $390 million as of November 2026 by our rough estimate, almost all of it the value of Bidco Africa.
What does Bidco Africa make?
Cooking oils and fats, soaps, hygiene and personal care products, food, drinks and, since 2025, breakfast cereals and snacks such as Fillows and Nibble.
How much does Bidco make in sales?
The last turnover the company discussed publicly was $500 million in 2014. No newer figure has been published.
Who runs Bidco Africa?
Vimal Shah, the founder’s son, is executive chairman. His younger brother Tarun has run day-to-day operations.
How much of Kenya’s cooking oil market does Bidco control?
About 54 percent of cooking oil and over 60 percent of cooking fat, according to consumer research cited in 2014.
How is the family’s net worth estimated?
We multiply Bidco’s last stated turnover by the sales multiple of a listed soap and personal-care company and deduct no debt, because none is published.
Related profiles
How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
Last updated: November 2026.