Cargill chooses Costa Rica for new services center

Minnesota-based corporation Cargill Inc. announced the opening in Costa Rica of a business services center that will provide technical support to the group’s 50 companies in the Americas in areas such as finance, information technologies, human resources, transportation and logistics.

The new center is part of a plan to bring together company services from around the world into one place. The company said in a press release the move would provide better service at a lower cost.

The location of the new facilities likely will be one of the free zones in the Greater Metropolitan Area, and the center will begin operating later this year, the group announced on Monday.

Cargill will look to hire staff with expertise in accounting, business administration, information technology and finance. Potential employees must be fluent in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

In a study by Cargill on potential locations, Costa Rica scored the highest against Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Panama.

“Cargill conducted research and chose Costa Rica because it is the most effective and engaging location for us,” Cargill Central America President Bruce Burdett told El Financiero in an interview. “The final decision was based on the country’s political and economic situation, and the availability of a highly trained workforce with good levels of foreign languages.”

The company also sought references from other multinational groups with similar operations in the country, such as WalMart, Procter & Gamble and Citibank. According to Burdett, “references were very positive and influenced the final decision.”

Cargill in 2011 acquired Costa Rica’s popular meat and poultry producer Pipasa Corporation and also represents animal food brands including Purina, Ascan, Mimados and Don Gato.

Founded in 1865, Cargill has 143,000 employees in 67 countries. It is a producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.