Goldilocks was founded by sisters Milagros Leelin Yee, Clarita Leelin Go and their sister-in-law, Doris Wilson.
Milagros and Clarita were two of the nine children of Pascual Leelin and Trinidad Tancioco.
During the Second World War, Milagros learned to cook while Clarita became interested in baking after getting an oven from her parents when she was 10.
“My father taught us to cook and bake. We would wake up early in the morning to cook for him,” Milagros shared to Inquirer.Net.
Eventually, the sisters started baking delicacies in their Makati apartment serving doctors, nurses, and patients, and after a while decided to open up their own small bakeshop.
“My sister and I decided to start a business when we began to receive requests for the cakes.”
Goldilocks—Combination of ‘Gold’ and ‘Luck’
On May 15, 1966, the sisters together with their sister-in-law, opened Goldilocks on a 70-sqm space on the ground floor of a three-story building at Pasong Tamo, Makati.
“The name Goldilocks was chosen because of two very important words embedded in the name—gold and luck, which suggest fortune and success.”
They opened the first branch with only 10 employees in it, and just two displayed cakes.
Pasong Tamo quickly gained attention from locals and visitors.
Their products were made in their family kitchen. The store offered freshly-made cakes and pastries which were sold out every day.
In 1991, they began accepting franchisees. And when the franchising began to grow in the Philippines, hundreds of Goldilocks branches opened around Metro Manila serving customers that also grew in number every day.
From their humble beginning in Pasong Tamo, they now have grown to over 600 stores and employ over 2,000 people.
The Goldilocks’ International Venture
After the success of Goldilocks in the Philippines, they began their international venture.
In 1976, Goldilocks introduced their products in the United States and Bangkok, opening their first branch in Los Angeles, then in San Francisco, Northern California, San Jose, and Las Vegas.
Today, Goldilocks has 12 stores in the US, 2 in Canada, and 6 in Thailand.
Goldilocks became known internationally because of their unique Filipino desserts, snacks, and bread.
Richard Yee, the president, and second-generation owner of Goldilocks shared to Inquirer.Net how they have managed to succeed throughout the years.
“We realized that to fulfill our strategic growth plans and to transition to the next generation, we had to partner with highly motivated entrepreneurs who shared the principles and values of Goldilocks.”
“Accordingly, we launched our franchising program in 1991, and the remarkable expansion that we have achieved since then is a testament to the strong partnership and positive relationship we have with our franchisees.”
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