Kraft Foods last year became the most valuable brand to have been bought since 2000.
It was acquired by 3G Capital- and Warren Buffett-owned Heinz, with the Kraft brand valued at $41.3 billion, according to brand specialist Markables.
All brands which are acquired have to be valued and reported separately, according to accounting rules.
To get a better sense of the massive amount of money spent on acquiring big-name brands, Markables compiled a list of the 20 most value brands to have been bought since 2000.
Behind Kraft was tobacco company Lorillard, which was valued at $27.2 billion. It was acquired by Reynolds America, also in 2015. The previous record was set in 2008 by beer makers InBev and Anheuser-Busch, which makes Budweiser.
Here is the full list of the 20 most valuable brands:
Kraft Foods
Brand value: $41.3 billion
Acquirer: Kraft Heinz Co.
Year acquired: 2015
Revenues: $18.20 billion
Brands: Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Philadephia
Lorillard
Brand value: $27.2 billion
Acquirer: Reynolds American
Year acquired: 2015
Revenues: $6.99 billion
Brands: Newport, Kent
Gillette
Brand value: $25.56 billion
Acquirer: Procter & Gamble
Year acquired: 2005
Revenues: $11.18 billion
Brands: Gillette, Duracell, Oral B, Braun
Anheuser-Busch
Brand value: $24.23 billion
Acquirer: InBev
Year acquired: 2008
Revenues: $17.44 billion
Brands: Budweiser, Michelob, Busch
Porsche
Brand value: $17.76 billion
Acquirer: Volkswagen
Year acquired: 2012
Revenues: $14.04 billion
Brands: Porsche
H.J. Heinz
Brand value: $12.13 billion
Acquirer: Berkshire Hathaway / 3G
Year acquired: 2013
Revenues: $11.53 billion
Brands: Heinz, Quero
Nabisco
Brand value: $11.7 billion
Acquirer: Philip Morris / Kraft
Year acquired: 2000
Revenues: $8.27 billion
Brands: Oreo, Ritz, Nutter Butter, Planters
Cadbury
Brand value: $10.3 billion
Acquirer: Kraft Foods
Year acquired: 2010
Revenues: $9.98 billion
Brands: Cadbury, Trident, Hollywood, Halls
Wyeth
Brand value: $10.24 billion
Acquirer: Pfizer
Year acquired: 2009
Revenues: $23.30 billion
Brands: Wyeth, Efexor, Prevnar, Enbrel, Gold, Protonix, Zosyn, Torisel
Altadis
Brand value: $9.38 billion
Acquirer: Imperial Tobacco
Year acquired: 2008
Revenues: $6.12 billion
Brands: Gauloises, Gitanes, Fortuna, Montecristo, Dutch Masters, Cohiba
US Smokeless Tobacco
Brand value: $9.06 billion
Acquirer: Altria
Year acquired: 2009
Revenues: $1.98 billion
Brands: Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, Husky
Allied Domecq
Brand value: $7.80 billion
Acquirer: Pernod Ricard
Year acquired: 2005
Revenues: $3.11 billion
Brands: Ballantine's, Beefeater, Malibu, Kahlúa, Stolichnaya, Mumm, Hiram Walker, Dunkin'
Merck's consumer care business
Brand value: $7.12 billion
Acquirer: Bayer
Year acquired: 2014
Revenues: $2.03 billion
Brands: Claritin, Coppertone, MiraLAX, Afrin
Scottish & Newcastle businesses
Brand value: $6.95 billion
Acquirer: Carlsberg
Year acquired: 2008
Revenues: $7.50 billion
Brands: Kronenbourg, Baltika, Saku, Mythos, Grimbergen
Sprint Nextel
Brand value: $6.46 billion
Acquirer: Softbank
Year acquired: 2013
Revenues: $35.35 billion
Brands: Sprint, Boost
Caremark Rx
Brand value: $6.40 billion
Acquirer: CVS Caremark
Year acquired: 2007
Revenues: $36.70 billion
Brands: Caremark
Tim Horton's
Brand value: $6.24 billion
Acquirer: Burger King / 3G
Year acquired: 2014
Revenues: $6.20 billion
Brands: Tim Horton's
Vin&Sprit
Brand value: $6.03 billion
Acquirer: 2008
Year acquired: Pernod Ricard
Revenues: $1.57 billion
Brands: Absolut, Cruzan, Level
Alliance Boots
Brand value: $5.91 billion
Acquirer: Walgreen
Year acquired: 2014
Revenues: $33.50 billion
Brands: Boots, Alliance Healthcare
General Motors
Brand value: $5.48 billion
Acquirer: New General Motors
Year acquired: 2009
Revenues: $104.59 billion
Brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Opel/Vauxhall, OnStar
