Nuqul Group

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Elia Costandi Nuqul was born in 1928 in Ramleh, Palestine, the fifth of eight children. Elia’s parents both ran small local businesses: his father was a grocer, while his mother, Adelle, sold her homemade embroidery. Elia excelled at school, and at the age of 12, he spent his summer break reselling confectionery from his father’s shop in another part of town, using the profits to pay his school fees the following year.^[3]

Determined to become an engineer, in 1948 Elia headed to Lebanon to take the London Matriculation Board examination. At the same time, the increasing turmoil in Palestine, and more precisely in Ramleh forced the Nuqul family to flee the country and take refuge in Jordan. Although Elia was offered a scholarship to attend the American University in Beirut and a job in Kuwait, he declined both offers and reunited with his displaced family.^[4]

As the Nuqul family were struggling as refugees in Jordan, Elia’s older brother, George, introduced him to the Alqattan family, who ran an import concern. Their business was growing rapidly with the arrival of Palestinian refugees, so they hired Elia to manage their accounts.^[5]

FOUNDING STORY

While working with the Al Qattan family, Elia launched multiple entrepreneurial ventures, importing items like razor blades and Kiwi shoe polish into Jordan. He also traded in hard currencies between Jordan, Beirut, and Europe. Acquiring a Jordanian passport and able once again to travel to the Palestinian West Bank, Elia established a small shop in Ramallah in 1950 for his oldest brother and father to run. In 1952, brothers Elia, Farah, and George established the Nuqul Brothers’ Company and registered it with the Ministry of National Economy in Amman. George oversaw sales, while Elia managed the shop and inventory. Within a few months, Elia shifted the business model from a consumer retail store to a wholesale business. ^[6]

The first years were challenging as the family was operating in what they referred to as an “adopted homeland” with substantial import restrictions. In 1955, Elia traveled to Europe to identify new suppliers and products to bring to Jordan. The trip led to successful partnerships, and the Nuqul Brothers became “a key supplier to grocery shops on both the East and West Banks.” In 1956, Elia quit his job with the Al Qattans to focus on the family business. The same year, he married Samira Riziq, a Palestinian from Ar-ramleh; the couple would have two daughters and two sons. ^[7]

GROWTH PHASE

In 1958, Elia launched the Fine Hygienic Paper Company with machinery purchased from West Germany. An insufficient local supply of raw materials led to products that were too expensive for the local market, and Fine operated at a loss. Elia persevered and even diversified his products in the belief that napkins and toilet paper would soon be seen as necessities by the younger generation. The Nuqul family was able to sustain operations during this period due to a contract they had won to supply food to the Jordanian army.^[8] In 1962, Elia purchased additional machinery and opened a full-fledged paper products factory. The company was still losing money, but as the production costs dropped, customers began turning to Fine as a cheaper alternative to imported napkins. In 1963, five years after its establishment, the company made its first profit.

After the 1965 signing of a free trade pact between Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan,^[9] Elia began sending his products to Syria, but was thwarted by obstruction from the Syrian government.^[10] Determined to expand his regional footprint, Elia established the National Paper Company in Kuwait in 1968, and three years later, the Nuqul & Naimi company there as well. In 1972, the Nuquls established a business in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.^[11] In 1985, the Fine Company expanded into Yemen^[12] and Elia’s son Ghassan Nuqul joined the family business, the rest of Elia’s children soon following suit. By decade’s end, the family ran five businesses that were consolidated into the Nuqul Group.^[13]

The family opened their first papermill in Egypt in 1991 and soon after another one in the UAE. By 1995, the group had 26 subsidiaries.^[14] Due to the massive growth of the business, as well as the fear that family members might become too “emotionally attached” at the expense of the company’s best interests,^[15] in 2004, the Nuqul Group made the decision to separate management responsibilities from ownership.^[16]

TODAY

Elia Nuqul passed away in June 2022 at the age of 93.^[17] His son Ghassan Nuqul is chairman of the Group,^[18] while his grandson Elia Ghassan Nuqul joined the family business in 2016; he currently serves as the head of wellness in Fine Hygienic Holding.^[19] In addition to Fine, the Nuqul Group has subsidiaries in the automotive, banking, insurance, real estate, engineering, and food sectors.^[20]