Today, privately held Grupo Pellas runs four sugar mills, produces ethanol and provides the raw material for Pellas' Flor de Caña brand of rum. The group controls more than 20 companies, with stakes in media, distribution, insurance, citrus, health care and auto dealerships. It boasts $1.5 billion in annual sales — equal to 13 percent of Nicaragua's gross domestic product.
The magazine on Aug. 5 named the 10 most influential families in Central America, based on the number of businesses in the region and the families’ economic clout.
