Cervecería Costa Rica (Imperial)

The Lindo brothers, of Jamaican origin, founded the Florida Ice and Farm Company (FIFCO) in 1908 to farm and make ice. In 1958 it bought Cervecería Ortega, maker of Imperial, a lager first brewed in 1924, and Pilsen and Bavaria, and in 1966 it opened Cervecería Costa Rica at Río Segundo, Alajuela. Heineken became a partner in 1986 and bought a quarter of the beer business in 2002. On 22 September 2025 Heineken agreed to buy the rest, with FIFCO’s stakes in Panama and Nicaragua, for about US$3.2 billion; the deal closed on 30 January 2026. Imperial, a lager of 4.5% with an eagle on its label, remains the national beer.