Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Pepe Fanjul: Good for energy, education, and making things sweeter!

Time for another the first installment of People You Should Know.  Today's person: Pepe Fanjul.

Pepe Fanjul is a success story on almost any level you want to look at. His family had a successful sugar business in Cuba before Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959 forced them to come to America, where his dad bought 4,000 acres of land in Florida and began building the sugar business all over again.  Pepe joined up in 2002, and has been running the wildly successful business since then.

But more than simply being a great businessman -- and bringing sweet, delicious sugar to us -- Pepe has given back to the country.  He and his wife founded Glades Academy Elementary in 2001, one of the highest-rated elementary schools in Florida, if not the country.  His company is the only organic sugar producer in the entire country, and he has helped spearhead a biomass powerplant that now is the largest eco-friendly energy producer in North America.

And now you know! Now go eat some sugar in gratitude.  Or rice: his company also grows rice.

No comments: