A former laborer is poised to amass a staggering £400 million from the monumental sale of Huel, setting the stage for his next ambitious venture following the sale of his opulent contemporary mansion.

Julian Hearn, 54, stands to gain this enormous sum after finalizing an £800 million agreement to transfer his nutritional drinks empire to the French conglomerate, Danone.

With a background that includes leaving school at 16 with only two E grades in English and starting his career by digging roads, this serial entrepreneur is now poised to relinquish his entire stake in the meal replacement company.

The newfound wealth seems to be opening doors to a home fit for a millionaire’s lifestyle.

Hearn, known for his philosophy of success—‘work your a*** off’—has decided to sell his current residence in his hometown of Buckinghamshire.

In 2020, he purchased a detached house overlooking Berkhamsted Castle for £1.39 million. He then transformed it, demolishing the original structure to build an eye-catching modern mansion in its place.

The eye-catching home boasts seven bedrooms, a gym, a media room and a vaulted lobby, as well as a summer house and entertainment zone.

The vast 4,200 sq ft abode is where Mr Hearn resided with his second wife Jade, whom he married at a no-expense-spared ceremony on Italy’s Amalfi coast in 2024.

Julian Hearn paid £1.39 million for a detached home overlooking Berkhamsted castle in 2020 before knocking the house and replacing it with a striking modern mansion

This standout property features seven bedrooms, a private gym, and a media room, complemented by a vaulted lobby, an entertainment zone, and an outdoor summer house

The entrepreneur is poised for another significant windfall as the property, marketed by agents as a ‘contemporary family home’ of ‘exacting standards’ heads toward a sale

Among the attendees was TV presenter Jake Humphrey, who shared a photo with the groom on Instagram, describing the wedding of his ‘friend and inspiration’ Julian Hearn as ‘gorgeous’

The serial entrepreneur, left school aged 16 with just two E grades in English and his first job involved digging roads

The wedding was held at the Michelin-starred Villa Cimbrone, described as ‘one of the most exclusive locations in the world’.

Guests included the TV presenter Jake Humphrey who posted on Instagram a photo with the groom, writing: ‘This week I attended the gorgeous wedding of my friend, and inspiration Julian Hearn.

‘Not only is he an incredible guy, his story is also incredible.’

The home – described by agents as an ‘outstanding contemporary family home’ finished to an ‘exacting standard throughout’ – is set to give the entrepreneur another big payday.

The architect-designed property is marked sold, subject to contract, after being marketed for £2.75million.

The listing on Rightmove states: ‘Designed by Flint Architects, the home has an imposing exterior which includes grey bricks and silvered timber alongside a wide range of striking design features.

‘This is an opportunity to acquire an outstanding and unique home in the heart of Berkhamsted.’

The sale comes as Danone agreed a deal reported to value Huel at £860million, handing Hearn a staggering payday.

It marks a remarkable rise for the businessman, who has spoken openly about leaving school at 16 with virtually no qualifications, before working in a shop and then as a labourer digging holes in the road for two years.

According to Hearn, it was his then-girlfriend who told him he was ‘too bright’ to be doing that job, prompting him to return to education.

He went on to graduate with a 2:1 from Bournemouth University, before climbing the ladder through blue-chip names including Starbucks, Tesco, Waitrose and MFI.

In 2008, he launched his first business, Mash Up Media, with a £1,500 personal investment. Within three years, he said, it was making more than £2.5million profit a year, and he sold it in 2011.

After that came Bodyhack, a failed fitness venture which inspired Huel – short for Human Fuel.

Perched on the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, Villa Cimbrone is a 12th-century estate often cited as the most ‘aristocratic’ hotel in Italy

The ceremony took place at the Michelin-starred Villa Cimbrone, a venue widely regarded as one of the world’s most exclusive locations

In 2025/2026, the minimum spend for a weekend event at the Villa starts at approximately €50,000 (£42,000) just for the location and catering, with total costs for high-net-worth weddings often exceeding £150,000

 The businessman has said he invested around £220,000 of his own money into the venture after burning through about £80,000 on Bodyhack.

The unknown food start-up grew into a global business selling powders, snack bars, drinks and pasta pots in more than 100 countries, with more than 200 million meals sold.

Mr Hearn’s first wife, Joanne Paling, with whom he shares a 14-year-old son, was registered as a secretary and shareholder in the company – though she resigned in 2019 when the couple’s marriage broke down.

She now lives in a £2.1m detached five-bedroomed house a short distance from her ex-husband’s mansion. It is not known whether she retains shares and could also be set for a payout from Danone.

Celebrity investors in Huel include the likes of Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, while other names linked to the business have included Jonathan Ross, Grace Beverley and Steven Bartlett.

Bartlett, the Dragons’ Den star and Diary Of A CEO host, also held a small stake in the company, which targets health-conscious millennials, commuters and those too busy to cook meals.

He resigned as a director last year, according to filings at Companies House.

Mr Hearn previously claimed to be unconcerned about the taste of his products as their nutrition value was of paramount importance.

A biography of Mr Hearn on the Huel website states: ‘I built my first company (Mash up Media) from scratch as the sole founder with £1,500 investment’ 

Mottos on the company’s office walls include: ‘Nutrition first, taste a close second’.

A biography of Mr Hearn on the Huel website states: ‘I built my first company (Mash up Media) from scratch as the sole founder with £1,500 investment.

‘Within three years Mash up Media was making over £2.5 million profit per year, and I successfully sold it to Internetbrands in 2011.

‘I’m now the founder of Huel which I bootstrapped to over £40m in revenue, and a valuation of £220m within four years of launch.’

The bio tells how in 1988 he ‘left school at 16 with virtually no qualifications (two Es at English, my forte)’ and ‘worked in a shop for a year’.

The following year he ‘worked as a labourer – dug holes in the road for two years’ before in 1991 a ‘girlfriend said I was too bright to dig holes, so went back to college’.

Mr Hearn added: ‘My first business was a cash generator, it solved my objective at the time to make my family financially secure, but it wasn’t a business I was proud of.

‘Huel is completely different; money wasn’t the objective. Sure, the lifeblood of a business is money, but Huel is so much more than that. Even if it were a tenth of the size I would still be into it just as much.

I wanted to create a business that did the right thing for the planet, for its staff, and most importantly for its customers. I wanted to create a brand that people would be proud to be associated with.

The litmus tests were: would my friends use and wear the clothing unprompted

‘Would my son be proud and tell his friends ‘my daddy runs Huel’. Both have been achieved.’

Huel chief executive James McMaster will remain in charge of the company.

He said: ‘Most people don’t get enough protein, fibre or the right nutrients. That’s the problem Huel exists to solve.’

He added that the sale will give Huel the capability ‘to go further, into new markets and to more people, as demand for convenient, complete nutrition continues to grow’.

The sale comes as Danone agreed a deal reported to value Huel at £860million, handing Hearn a staggering payday

The listing on Rightmove states: ‘Designed by Flint Architects, the home has an imposing exterior which includes grey bricks and silvered timber alongside a wide range of striking design features’

The listing on Rightmove states: ‘This is an opportunity to acquire an outstanding and unique home in the heart of Berkhamsted’

The deal comes amid efforts by Danone to expand further in the ‘functional nutrition’ sector.

Danone chief executive Antoine de Saint-Affrique said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Huel and the Huel team into the Danone family.

‘What they have achieved in the fast-growing complete nutrition space fully resonates with Danone’s mission of delivering health through food.

‘Combining their range and best-in-class digital capabilities with Danone’s global reach and deep nutritional expertise offers exciting opportunities into the new and fast-growing nutritionally complete space, in line with our renew Danone strategy.’