If you’ve ever celebrated a birthday or holiday in the Philippines, chances are there was a Goldilocks cake right at the center of the table.

It all began in 1966. Two sisters, Milagros and Clarita Leelin opened the doors to a small bakeshop on a busy street in the city, Makati. By sundown, every slice was gone.

That small shop would grow into almost 1,000 outlets globally, bringing the taste of home to generations of Filipino families.

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💞 Family recipes, family values

In postwar Manila, Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go baked to help support their family.

Clarita received her first oven at age ten, sparking her passion for cakes at family parties. Milagros balanced nursing shifts with baking late into the night for neighborhood canteens and hospital staff.

After years of encouragement from friends, the sisters, along with their sister-in-law Doris Leelin, pooled their savings for a modest 70-square-meter shop. They launched with just 10 staff and two cakes.

Naming the bakery was a family activity. Their older sister suggested “Goldilocks,” a name that combined gold for fortune and luck for hope, and was easy for even the youngest customers to say.

Word spread quickly. On opening day, every cake was sold. The register totaled PHP 574 (about PHP 25,800 or $450 USD today). It wasn’t a fortune, but it was enough to prove their cakes had found their place at the heart of celebrations.

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🇵🇭 Becoming a Filipino tradition

Goldilocks quickly became the go-to for birthday cakes, mamon (fluffy sponge cake), and polvoron (crumbly, sweet shortbread).

Treats became traditions, and lunchboxes and parties filled up with Goldilocks favorites.

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🌏 Going global

In 1976, Goldilocks took a leap and opened its first overseas store in Los Angeles.

Filipinos overseas found comfort in a slice of home. Vancouver followed in 1984, as more branches opened across North America.

To keep up with the growing demand and ensure every cake and pastry tasted just like it did in Manila, the family established a dedicated US facility, Clarmil Manufacturing in California.

This allowed Goldilocks to bake fresh goods for its American stores, safeguarding the same quality and authenticity that made them a Filipino favorite.

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📈 How to keep growing?

By the late 1980s, Goldilocks had just 19 branches in the Philippines, and growth was slowing.

With Clarita eyeing retirement, her son Franklin Go returned from culinary school to help chart a new course. The family decided to franchise in 1991.

This move let new entrepreneurs bring Goldilocks into their own neighborhoods, like the first Cebu franchise that opened in 1995.

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🎂 Staying “just right”

Goldilocks stuck to its hits such as Rainbow Cake, Black Forest Roll, and Polvoron Mallows (chocolate- or marshmallow-covered shortbread).

Franchise partners like Blanca Bondoc, who serves Simbang Gabi (pre-dawn Christmas Mass) crowds, and Henry Gosyco, who made his childhood dream of bakery ownership real, helped take the brand to new heights.

By 1999, Goldilocks reached 100 outlets, helping families mark milestones everywhere. As Richard Yee, Milagros’s son, puts it: “Do things right, not quickly.”

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💰 A big boost

And through the 2000s, they saw constant growth with new stores opening across Southeast Asia.

In 2018, SM Investments Corporation, a retail giant that is one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates, even joined as a key investor and helped modernize Goldilocks’ systems and speed up expansion

SM’s capabilities, especially during the pandemic, made online and nationwide orders easier and helped Goldilocks grow beyond 926 stores and over 360 franchises worldwide by 2023.

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😋 Still at the center of every table

Nearly sixty years on, what started as a humble bakery on a Manila street corner has bloomed into a Filipino institution. Its cakes and breads are now a part of celebrations and traditions across the globe, from the Philippines to San Francisco.

As Goldilocks gets closer to its 1,000th store, it stands as a testament to the idea that when you put heart into every slice, you don’t just feed people. You become a part of life’s sweetest moments, one generation after another.

And that’s a recipe for memories that will last a lifetime.