Rui Nabeiro
Manuel Rui Azinhais Nabeiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 March 1931 Campo Maior, District of Portalegre, Portugal |
| Died | 19 March 2023 (aged 91) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of Delta Cafés |
Manuel Rui Azinhais Nabeiro (28 March 1931 – 19 March 2023) was a distinguished Portuguese entrepreneur and philanthropist, renowned for establishing the Delta Cafés company.
Biography
Nabeiro was born in 1931 in Campo Maior, located within the District of Portalegre, Portugal. His formal education concluded at the fourth grade level. Beginning at age 12, he contributed to his family’s grocery and coffee roasting business during a time influenced by the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and cross-border smuggling activities between Portugal and Spain. At 19, he assumed control of the family’s coffee roasting operations and went on to create Delta Cafés in 1961.
As a pioneer in the coffee roasting industry, he introduced Novadelta in 1982 and inaugurated the Iberian Peninsula’s largest coffee roasting facility in 1984. In recognition of his contributions, Nabeiro was honored with an honorary doctorate from the University of Coimbra’s School of Economics in 2022 and received the Merit and Excellence Award at Portugal’s Golden Globes ceremony.
National orders
- Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator (5 January 2006)
- Commander of the Order of Entrepreneurial Merit, Class of Industrial Merit (9 June 1995)