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Director
Maria de Lourdes Sobrino
Founder/CEO, LuLu's Dessert Corp.
Maria de Lourdes Sobrino is Founder and CEO of Lulu’s Dessert® Corporation.
Established in 1982, Lulu’s Dessert®, is ranked among the largest
and fastest growing Hispanic owned businesses in the United States.
Born and raised in Mexico City, Ms. Sobrino’s first business was in the
tourism industry with an initial focus on organizing conventions and events.
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 the unstable economic conditions in Mexico;
however, her entrepreneurial spirit grew stronger and she began to explore other
passions and ideas.
Ms. Sobrino came with this 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. Ms. Sobrino 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.
Ms. Sobrino’s leadership also got her recognized and invited 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 economy in America.
Ms. Sobrino’s business and community efforts and dedication to supporting
entrepreneurs and small businesses have won her much recognition by corporations
and the media.
The Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advance Study at Harvard
University honored Maria De Lourdes Sobrino (Lulu) in the National traveling
exhibition that reinterprets the History of American Women and American Business
- “Enterprising Women, the Businesswomen of America: 1750-2000”
250 years of History of American Women Entrepreneurs. Among 40 intriguing women
who helped shape the landscape of American Business this exhibition has been
traveling through the country for the last two years and now is in Detroit,
Michigan.
Currently, she is on the advisory board for Latina Style Magazine in Washington
DC and NAFIN (Nacional Financiera, an investment bank in Mexico). She also serves
as an advisor to Rancho Santiago College District Foundation, NAWBO Enterprise
Institute, NFIB, NHBW in Orange County, BWN (Business Women Network) in Washington
DC, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce California Chapter, and Enterprising Women
Magazine.
Furthermore, she is one the Directors of The Hispanic Press Inc. partnering
with Dr. Sharon Freeman in Washington D.C and publishing her first book “Maria
de Lourdes (Lulu) Sobrino Conversations with Successful Hispanic Businesswomen
in America”, which will be print in English & Spanish and will be
available in 2005. The objective is to publish information works about the plate
of women in the Hispanic Business and Political World.
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