Thai ice cream tycoon offers business for $5M to become a monk
The founder of Thai ice-cream brand Hawell’s is putting the business up for sale for 165 million baht (US$5 million), saying he is following through on a long-held goal of entering the monkhood and renouncing worldly life.
Siripong Akkarasriyuk, the chairman of Hawell's Co Ltd, announced on Facebook that he is willing to sell his ice cream business for 5 million baht to become a monk. The brand, Hawell's, was once a popular presence in Thailand's shopping malls during the early 2000s, with a total of 22 branches at its peak. However, due to various factors, such as malls refusing to grant space for new branches and intense competition from major rivals, Hawell's has significantly dwindled, with only one standalone branch remaining.
Siripong, who founded the company in 1999, has been deeply passionate about ice cream since his childhood and has been a regular guest on talk shows featuring Thai entrepreneurs. Despite the business's challenges, Siripong has also been a devoted Buddhist for years, publishing a book on Buddhism in 2016 and delivering numerous talks on the subject.
He has been planning his spiritual journey for over 15 years and intends to sell Hawell's assets, valued at 165 million baht, to a successor. The funds raised will be used to establish a forest retreat for meditation and practice before fully committing to a life as a monk.
Written by urgent.news from VnExpress Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
