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Maria de Lourdes “Lulu” Sobrino
Founder & CEO
Lulu’s Dessert Corporation |
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Maria de Lourdes Sobrino is Founder and
CEO of Lulu’s Dessert® Corporation. Established in 1982,
Lulu’s Dessert®, is ranked among the fastest growing
Hispanic owned businesses in the United States. As Jim
Hopkins from USA Today wrote she is “the queen of
ready-to-eat gelatin and a force in the surging number of
Hispanic entrepreneurs.”
Born and raised in Mexico City, Ms. Sobrino’s first business
was in the tourism industry. She later expanded her business
to a travel agency, which grew so rapidly that she decided
to open an office in Los Angeles. In 1982, Ms. Sobrino had
to close her Mexican travel business due to unstable
economic conditions in Mexico; however, her entrepreneurial
spirit grew stronger and she began to explore other passions
and ideas.
Ms. Sobrino came up with the great idea of ready-to-eat
gelatin when looking for the popular dessert while living in
the U.S. A staple in her native Mexico, the concept was new
to the U.S. and a novelty when she introduced it to American
grocers in California. She recognized a need, filled it and
revolutionized the food industry by creating the
first-ever ready-to-eat gelatin category, based on her
own mother’s recipe. From the initial production of 300 cups
of gelatin a day, Lulu’s Dessert® has overcome many
challenges and obstacles to become a leading maker of
ready-to-eat desserts.
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Ms. Sobrino’s leadership also gained her recognition and an
invitation to be part of President George W. Bush’s,
Economic Forum in Waco, Texas to represent “Small
Businesses”. She lent her expertise to identify obstacles to
increase jobs and the economy in America. Ms. Sobrino’s
business, leadership, community efforts and dedication to
supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses have won her
much recognition by many corporations and the media.
Recently, Ms. Sobrino was a speaker at the Microsoft Small
Business Summit in March 2008. The four day event reached an
audience of 200,000 on-line viewers. Ms. Sobrino along with
other small business experts including Donny Deutsch and
Louis Barajas educated the business community on topics
important to small businesses. Her segment is available for
viewing at
www.sbsummit.com.
The Schlesinger Library at Harvard University honored Ms.
Sobrino in a national traveling exhibit that reinterprets
the History of American Women and Business. “Enterprising
Women, the Businesswomen of America: 1750-2000” She was
among 40 intriguing women who helped shape the landscape of
American Business such as: Meg Whitman, Martha Stewart and
Oprah Winfrey among others.
www.enterprisingwomenexhibit.org
Currently, she is on the advisory board for Nawbo-LA,
Co-Chair for the (CWBR) Center for Women’s Business Research
National Symposium, Rancho Santiago Community College
Foundation, NAFIN (Nacional Financiera an investment bank in
Mexico) and Latina Style Magazine in Washington DC. Ms.
Sobrino is also a founding member of the Working Families
for Wal-Mart (WFMM) steering committee.
In her first book Thriving Latina Entrepreneurs in America
she shares her story along with seven other outstanding
Latinas and their successes. The book is available through
Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers
nationwide. |
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