In 1908, the Lindo Brothers of Jamaican origin, founded a company in
Siquirres, the third canton in the province of
Limón, one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The newly formed company was dedicated to agriculture and the making of ice. The
finca (property) in which the company was located was called "La Florida", from which the company took its name of "Florida Ice and Farm Company". The brothers used an English name due to the fact that
English was their native language, as it was for many Caribbean migrants who lived in the Atlantic region of Costa Rica. With that same company, they purchased the brewery and beverages business owned by José Traube in 1912. This is how a company that was mainly an agricultural concern entered the beverages market. In 2008 after two years of the opening of political relationships between
China and Costa Rica, the company signed a contract with
Tsingtao that allowed it to start exporting its beer and refreshments into China, as well as importing Chinese beverages into Costa Rica. In March 2012 the company entered the dairy market with the purchase of Coopeleche R.L.; the move put pressure on
Cooperativa de Productores de Leche R.L. (Dos Pinos) which has dominated the Costa Rican dairy market for years. In October 2012 FIFCO purchased
North American Breweries Holdings (NAB) from
KPS Capital Partners, for US$388 million through its subsidiary Cervecería Costa Rica S. A. NAB sells
Genesee and Labatt beer in the United States, as well as craft or small batch beers including
Magic Hat and
Pyramid. Under contract FIFCO brews
Heineken beer at its facility at
La Ribera de Belen. In 2015, FIFCO obtained the
essential COSTA RICA country brand. ==See also==