Alfonso Valdés Cobián

Alfonso Valdés Cobián
Alfonso Valdés Cobián
Born	June 23, 1890 Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Died	February 14, 1988 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Occupation	industrialist, banker, sportsman and politician
Spouse(s)	Grace García
Notes
Valdés Cobián was the cofounder of Cervecería India, Inc., currently Puerto Rico's largest beer brewery. He served as Senator in the Puerto Rican Senate. He was also the owner of the "Indios de Mayagüez" (Mayagüez Indians), a basketball team.

Alfonso Valdés Cobián (June 23, 1890 - February 14, 1988), was an industrialist, banker, sportsman and politician. Valdés Cobián was a cofounder of Cervecería India, Inc., currently Puerto Rico's largest beer brewery.

Valdés Cobián was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico to Ramon and Encarnación Cobián. When he was a child his family moved to the United States and lived in Manhattan. While living there he attended the Hamilton institute, a preparatory school, and Columbia University, where he received a degree in electrical engineering in 1911.

The family returned to Puerto Rico and in 1910, his father, Ramón Valdés founded and organized the "Mayaguez Light, Power and Ice Company", a utility in the city of Mayagüez. The elder Valdés named Alfonso the company's vice president in 1915. The Government took over all power generation in the late 1930s and the company is now operated by "La Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica de Puerto Rico" (The Puerto Rico Electric Energy Authority).

Mayagüez is known as "La Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" (The City of the Pure Waters) because of the quality of its waters. The nickname originated because of the quality of the waters from the Yagüez River. The word "Yagüez" is Taino for "Place of pure and clear waters" . Valdés Cobián's brother Sabino, took a sample of the waters of Mayagüez to the Wallestein Laboratory in New York which confirmed the quality of the waters for the elaboration of beer.

Valdés Cobián and his brothers, Sabino and Ramón decided to build a brewery in Mayagüez and on November 2, 1937, they founded the Compañía Cervecera de Puerto Rico which was later renamed Cervecería India. The company competed with two other native beer breweries, "Real" and "Corona" (no relation to the Mexican beer), which no longer exist. Valdés Cobián, as chairman and president, successfully led his company converting it into Puerto Rico's largest beer brewery and manufacture of canned and bottled soft drinks.