About Us

Meet Ignacio Villalobos Jr., aka Iggy, the mascot of the Naked Iguana Brewery.  He hails from Dominical, Costa Rica, a quaint surfing village known for its hippy vibe.  He is the only son of Ignacio and Mary-Louisa Villalobos.  His father was a well-known restauranteur with restaurants scattered around the Puntarenas Province in southern Costa Rica.  His mother was a nurse at a local clinic.  

At age 12, Iggy and his mother were accompanying his father to the local banana grove to select plantains for the weekend menu.  In an amazing twist of fate, a machete swing sent them crashing onto the shoulder of a bananero.  They managed to stay together as they were shoved into a bag and loaded onto a bumpy mule ride.  At the packing plant, they clung to the banana stalk as it was sent bobbing and bumping down a white-water river until they eventually landed in a packing box.  The box was sealed and loaded onto an ocean-liner headed to Galveston, TX.   

The family couldn’t believe their eyes as they emerged from the dark shipping container and took in the bustling Texas port.  There were enormous cruise ships, fishing boats, and even a relic of a sailing vessel with an intricate network of wooden masts, reminiscent of the Spanish exploration era.   

They made their way to the uneven brick streets of downtown where they dodged the feet of tourists and dogs, golf carts, a whistling trolly and some strange 3 wheeled motor bikes with blaring music.  They awed at the old brick buildings with ornate details and frilly iron balcony railings.  They took in the sounds of live music and laughter, breathed in smells from the many eateries and creameries, and crept by a gigantic bear to experience sweet morsels at the confectionary.   

They quickly decided this is the place they would call home. 

Eventually Ignacio Senior would open a wildly successful restaurant called Foody and Jaco’s.  Mary-Louisa found work as an emergency room nurse at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and Iggy attended college at Texas A&M Galveston. 

Rather than take on work after graduation, Iggy immersed himself in his two loves:  surfing and brewing craft beer.  But as that did not pay the bills, his parents urged him to find work (and a place of his own).  He hired on as assistant brewer at a popular, local microbrewery where he learned the craft brew trade.  This laid the groundwork for his eventual start-up of the Naked Iguana Brewery located on the historic Strand in Galveston, TX.     

Pura Vida!