Bebidas Florida manager Ramon Mendiola was presented with the “Entrepreneur of the Year 2012” award Wednesday night by the financial publication El Financiero, the local equivalent of The Wall Street Journal.

The company began and continues to be Costa Rica’s primary producer of beer (including best selling Imperial) and other beverages. The newspaper also chose Foreign Trade Minister Anabel Gonzalez as public official of the year.

El Financiero, part of the Grupo La Nacion family of publications, is a “must read” for businessmen in the country.

Mendiola was chosen because the once-modest sized Florida Farm and ICE has grown tremendously in the past years under Mendiola. He bought the dairy Coopeleche and launched on the market a brand of milk and milk products creatively named “MU!” (Moo!).

He also bought the U.S. company North American Breweries Holdings for $388 million, returning to the Florida roots in turning out fine beer. Mendiola has been with the company for 10 years.

El Financiero publisher Jose David Guevara praised Minister Gonzalez for tirelessly promoting free trade treaties and for attracting foreign investment into the country.

Mendiola said Wednesday night that he tried to diversify Bebida Florida in order to minimize risk both in terms of category of products and geographically.

The newspaper has given out these awards for the past 16 years and its Wednesday edition contained the names of Gonzalez and Minister of Economy, Industry and Trade, Maryi Antillon, and 24 other business persons, including Mendiola.

Source: Fijatevos.com