CNN cites Goldilocks bakeshop founders among world's 'Trailblazer Female CEOs

From its humble beginnings as a small bakeshop in Makati, Goldilocks has grown to become the largest Filipino-owned bakeshop in the world. Its competitors may have come and gone but Goldilocks bakeshop managed to thrive throughout its nearly five decades of existence. For their display of exceptional business acumen, Goldilocks’ founders, sisters Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go were recently cited by CNN as being among the top women Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of food and beverage companies who have successfully reinvented their brand. Although Goldilocks has come to be recognized as the Philippines’ leading bakeshop by the 1990s, the Leelin sisters did not rest on their laurels and continued to look for ways to attract new customers while keeping their loyal fan base. “The much-loved family bake shop has expanded to offer food choices and in 2010 underwent a full rebranding in an effort to keep up with other competitors,” the article said. Goldilocks grew from being a small business that earned only P574 on its opening day to a multi-million peso food and pastries empire. The bakeshop boasts of more than 420 stores in the Philippines and overseas markets, and employs a workforce of over 2,000 people. Other women CEOs Aside from the Leelin sisters, the other women CEOs recognized by CNN were Denise Morrison, the CEO and president of the Campbell Soup Company, Indra Nooyi, the Indian-born chairman and CEO of food and beverage conglomerate PepsiCo; Martha Stewart, touted as America’s “domestic goddess” and founder of the multimillion dollar company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; and Australian Donna Hay, a food editor and cookbook author. According to the company's website, it was actually another Leelin sibling, Maria Flor, who suggested the name “Goldilocks” to her sisters. “The intention was to make it easier for children and their mothers to remember the bakeshop's name, and also because it suggested luck and prosperity,”it said. Luck might have played a role in helping the bakeshop become an established Filipino company but it was the Leelin sisters’ love for food and business prowess that propelled Goldilocks to become the icon that it remains to be until now. - Xianne Arcangel, VVP, GMA News