2007 Filipinas Magazine Achievement Awards

Business Trailblazers : Milagros L. Yee and Clarita L. Go, Goldilocks
Sponsored by Wells Fargo

When sisters Clarita Go and Milagros Yee and their sister-in-law, Doris Wilson-Leelin, decided to parlay their love for cooking, baking and decorating cakes into a commercial venture in 1966, never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that their little store in Pasong Tamo, Makati which they named Goldilocks (for luck and prosperity) would spawn a multimillion dollar empire in two continents.

Forty one years after its founding, Goldilocks now has almost 300 branches in the Philippines, two-thirds of which are franchises; 19 stores in the United States and one in Vancouver, Canada. It has also set up Clarmil Manufacturing Corporation, its Northern California manufacturing plant where about 150 chefs, bakers, and assistants bake thousands of cakes, breads, and pastries each day to supply the stores. Clarmil also comprises the Food Processing Division where Goldilocks’ diner dishes and frozen food items are processed under the strict supervision of a representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who actually holds office in the premises. The presence of the USDA in Clarmil ensures that everything that comes out of the food processing unit are made under optimum sanitation conditions, something that the company is very conscious about. Recently, Clarmil garnered the Platinum Audit Award from Silliker Inc., an auditing firm, for achieving the highest quality in food safety practices and security, as well as excellence in teamwork.

Despite competition from other bakeshops and fastfood restaurants, Goldilocks remains at the top. Generations of Filipinos continue to buy its products, drawn by both the unwavering high quality and the wonderful memories these products evoke of home, family and growing up with Goldilocks.

But there’s more: as Mary Ann Y. Ortiz-Luis, the daughter of one of the founders and now president of Clarmil reveals, a large part of the company’s success is rooted in the values that her mother and aunt instilled in their children. Hard work, frugality and, most especially, thoughtfulness are hallmarks of Goldilocks’ management and marketing. It is thoughtfulness, after all, that propels Filipinos to buy Goldilocks’ products for their love ones. “How thoughtful. How Goldilocks,” the company’s slogan proclaims.

But beyond the marketing, however, thoughtfulness seems to be the underlying factor in Goldilocks’ continued success. The company is known for hiring families and rewarding employee loyalty. Employees’ children are given priority for job openings. Long-time employees in Manila are given five-year tours of duty in the U.S., their transportation and living expenses paid for by the company.

With the second-generation family members now driving Goldilocks’ operations, the company has flourished with the introduction of innovative approaches to management, manufacturing and marketing. Its research and development staff are attuned to the latest trends in food production. New markets for its bakery products and famous cakes have opened in Europe, while contract manufacturing accounts with such distributors as Costco, Walmart and Marriott Hotels have expanded the company’s reach.

These laurels notwithstanding, the owners continue to dream big. The next frontier that they are already in the process of conquering is the mainstream market, where they hope that Filipino food, not just Goldilocks, will be there side-by-side with other Asian cuisines in titillating the taste buds of the world.

Souvenir Programme