Rui Nabeiro, founder of the Nabeiro-Delta Cafés Group, distinguished with the title of commander, considered the most charismatic businessman in Portugal, died this Sunday at the age of 91 in a hospital in Lisbon.
The businessman received in 2011 the medal of Extremadura for the close link and the relationship of cooperation that he maintained for years with Extremadura. Before creating his coffee empire, he started at a very young age as a smuggler, crossing the Raya with his uncle Joaquim. And from there he saw business opportunities between Spain and Portugal.
Born in 1931, in Campo Maior (Portalegre, Alentejo), 14 kilometers from the Spanish border, Nabeiro created Delta Cafés in 1961, "giving rise to a business group that today leads the coffee market in Portugal" and is "in strong expansion in international markets," said the company.
The origins of the entrepreneur are very humble. His parents had a small coffee roasting business and at age 13 he had to leave school to help out at home. The smuggling with his uncle along the Raya, as the land border between Spain and Portugal is popularly known, was his salvation and the origin of his business that ended up making him the king of coffee.
Delta Cafés remains in the hands of the family. Its president, grandson of Rui Nabeiro, is named after him. The group has 3,800 employees and is present in 40 countries, including Spain, Brazil, China and the United States
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