our story!

La Chiboleria Lacayo

In 1920, Don Julio Lacayo founded a soda shop in Leon, Nicaragua and named it “La Chiboleria Lacayo” after his family’s last name. The shop bottled soda in several colors like red, orange, purple and yellow. In 1959, his son Don Manuel Ignacio Lacayo Terán, perfected the original formula and founded “Embotelladora Milca” using his initials “MIL” to come up with the name for his soda. Milca™ gained popularity as the first branded red soda in Nicaragua becoming a household name and a favorite of adults and kids alike.

From Nicaragua to the World

In 1988, following a large wave of Nicaraguan immigrants and under the leadership of Ramiro Cardenal, Milca™ was introduced to the United States to grow and win the hearts of a new country. Expanding to retail and grocery chains in the southeast and the west coast, Milca™ became a favorite in the United States with buyers of many backgrounds running to enjoy a cold one. In 1998, because of the social and political situation, Milca™ discontinued bottling operations in Nicaragua and continued growing in the United States while being headquartered in Miami, Florida.

La Roja Original

In 2020, Don Manuel’s eldest great-grandson - Javier Ignacio Cuadra - brought Milca™ back to Nicaragua through a strategic partnership with a bottler and distributor, Compañia Cervecera de Nicaragua (CCN). Today, Milca™ continues to expand in the United States and other markets in Central America, South America and Europe. If you’re yet to try a Milca™, let us know and we’ll enjoy one with you.

THE Milca Family!