Jacob Letterstedt

Jacob Letterstedt (1796 – 1862), born Lallerstedt in Östergötland, was a Swedish businessman who settled in the Cape Colony (part of present-day South Africa). He arrived at Cape Town in 1820, where he made his fortune in the grain trade. Later he founded the company that became South African Breweries. In 1841 he was appointed Consul of Sweden-Norway.

Letterstedt donated money to several prizes and to the Letterstedt Association, which promotes Nordic cooperation. In 1860, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.