Maria_Eufrasia_Peixoto

Brazil's first female entrepreneur who built a transcontinental trade empire during the Amazon rubber boom

Maria Eufrásia Peixoto (1818-1889) was an extraordinary Afro-Brazilian businesswoman who amassed a fortune during the 19th century Amazon rubber boom. Born into slavery in Bahia, she gained freedom through her mother's inheritance and built a trading network stretching from Belém to Lisbon. By age 30, she owned 12 steamships and 17 warehouses, dominating the latex trade at a time when women were legally barred from business ownership.

Peixoto's success stemmed from her innovative financing methods - she pioneered the use of promissory notes among rubber tappers, creating Brazil's first informal credit system. Her Casa Eufrásia trading company employed over 500 people, including many former slaves. She famously sued the Brazilian government in 1867 and won a landmark case recognizing female business ownership rights, setting legal precedents still referenced today.

Despite her wealth, she remained deeply involved in community affairs. She funded schools for Afro-Brazilian children and established the Casa da Caridade charity hospital that operated until 1968. Her 1872 memoir From Chains to Chains (recently translated into English) reveals her strategies for navigating patriarchal systems. Modern economists cite her as a pioneer of supply chain management, using her ships to control both production and distribution channels.

Today, the Maria Eufrásia Peixoto Memorial in Belém showcases her business records. The 2022 biopic Rubber Queen dramatizes her life, though scholars debate its historical accuracy. Recent research shows her enterprises employed 19% female managers - a staggering figure for the era. Her legacy endures in Amazonian business circles, where entrepreneurs still study her risk-taking strategies.