Sousa Cintra

Sousa Cintra, full name José Sousa Cintra, is a Portuguese businessman, born in the village of Raposeira, Algarve region.

He worked as a snail trader in his village, and with 15 years old he went to Lisbon where he got a job in Hotel Tivoli as an elevator operator. During these times he earned a larger amount of money selling watercolor paintings in parallel with his job at the hotel. With 16 years old he joined the Portuguese Navy for 4 years. After the Carnation Revolution of 1974, Cintra saw a number of his assets expropriated but he eventually acquiered Águas Vidago, a mineral water company. Between 1989 and 1995, Sousa Cintra was the chairman of Sporting Clube de Portugal and reached a huge popularity in this post and as a successful businessperson.

In 1998 he bought a beer factory in São Paulo and shortly after he built another in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His beer business in Brazil reached the break even point and was ranked number 4 in a short span of time. In 2002 he invested in a new beer factory in Santarém, Portugal in order to produce and sell Cintra beer in his home country. Due to the strong competition and the power of well-established beer brands in the Portuguese market (Super Bock and Sagres), Sousa Cintra sold out his Portuguese Cintra beer business, remaining only with the successful Brazilian activities.