Born in 1842, Dumitru Marinescu began his apprenticeship at an early age, after finishing primary school, having „Sir Hristache Ioanin from Caimata”as a master. Later on, he started working at Chir Iancu Stefanescu, a brandy maker and a pastry chef from Piata Alba near Gura Pietii Mari. The recommendation had been made by Dumitru Ioan, who was the priest of Roaba church, a contact of his father’s using the exact words: „He is hard as steel, he breaks the stone in four and he is not afraid of working”.

At the beginning, he had to bring water for the liqueur store from Dambovita using a shoulder yoke. He stood out from the start for his hard-work and his brilliant mind. Iancu Stefanescu being old, he soon took Dumitru Marinescu as his associate at the liqueur store due to the fact that he was the most capable boy there. In 1866, Stefanescu retired and left the liqueur store to Dumitrica. Being always trustworthy and truthful towards his clientele, in 1872 he was able to buy the houses at 39th and 41st on Carol Street setting up a confectionary and a liqueur store. At about the same period, he rented the spirits factory from Clucereasa (Muscel County), and then the distillery and the related land from Brailoiu (Dambovita County).

Following the rental of Brailoiu domain, he purchased the houses at 66th on Carol Street, the ones across the street from his confectionery and liqueur store. On its façade, where he set up his first offices, one can see today the initials DM (Dumitru Marinescu), like a testimony for the past.

In 1879, through a public auction, he purchased the Bragadiru domain in Ilfov County and added Bragadiru to his family name, which rapidly became his main name. A year later, he began the construction of the spirits factory on Bragadiru domain. Ten years later, he added a brewery as a trial, but his wish was to build up a greater and a more modern one in Bucharest.

In 1883, he purchased about 70.000 sqm of land and houses on Calea Rahovei from the Laptev family, adding another house and more land, summing up a total surface of 100.000sqm, and in 1894 he started the construction of the great brewery bearing the name of Bere Bragadiru, until the property nationalization on June 11th 1948, when it became Bere Rahova.

He offered the Bucharest City Hall 20.000sqm for the construction of Maria Boulevard, today’s Cosbuc Bvd. and 5000sqm for Elena Doamna Street. He built the first Romanian rural telephone, stretching from 66 Carol Street through Calea Rahovei up to Bragadiru domain and Bragadiru distillery. The pylons and the entire telephonic installation were made on his expense.

In February 1909, he changed his industries into anonymous stock corporations and founded Rahova Bragadiru Bank, however, all the stocks remained within the family. The same year, he established the family residence nearby the factory and settled into shape the project for the Palace of Culture, nowadays known as Bragadiru Palace. Afterwards, he purchased Varteju, Nefliu and Chirca domains in Ilfov County. In Varteju, he built a church and a school. In Poieni, he rehabilitated the church and he built a school and a church in the small town of Bragadiru. He also acquired Popesti, Vlasca and Clinceni domains.

He was recommended to run as a candidate for the Chamber and the Senate, and he was offered a position of Minister of Commerce, but he never wanted to interfere with politics. At his 70th birthday, he celebrated among his employees from all his industries.

In the afternoon of January 2, 1915, he passed away from a heart attack after working all morning.

He helped countless merchants in his desire to form a branch of young people trained mainly in commerce, agriculture and horticulture fields. He financed the studies for many students both at universities in Romania and abroad. He sent young people to learn the industry of milk production in Denmark. At his time, he was a fine and rare Romanian example of extraordinary intelligence and rationality. At his death, all the press releases highlighted his great personality. “Tribuna” journal ends its article with the words:

« By publishing his portrait and the one of the young Bragadiru, one of his descendants, we pay piously a tribute to the image of the one that is no more, to the founder of our national industry and a spiritual satisfaction to show the future generations that Bragadiru left behind a truthful heir, who will perpetuate with the same enthusiasm the love for righteousness, for progress and for fruitful work through the path worn all along by the giant. »