Our Sweet Beginnings
Sara Lee was 8 years old when Charlie Lubin, a bakery entrepreneur, decided to name his new line of cheesecakes after his daughter, Sara Lee. His company was purchased in 1956 by Consolidated Foods, where Mr. Lubin continued to serve as a senior executive for many years. In 1985, Consolidated Foods changed its name to Sara Lee Corporation. Over the years, Sara Lee has appeared in various television advertisements for our bakery products. In her words, her father told her the product “had to be perfect because he was naming it after me.”
Sara Lee® Through The Years
1983:
In July of 1983, Sara Lee displayed a "dummy" cake for the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
1985:
In 1985, Consolidated Foods Corporation was renamed Sara Lee Corporation. In conjunction with this, Kitchens of Sara Lee was renamed Sara Lee Bakery.
1988:
Chef Pierre and Sara Lee merged together in 1988, combining Sara Lee's technological leadership in laminated doughs with Chef Pierre's expertise in fruit-based technologies.
1993:
A line of Sara Lee fresh-delivered products was introduced in 1993, first to the California markets. These baked good items can now be found in about one-third of the country. It is from these locations, scattered across the world, that our company continues to grow, prosper and carry on the high ideals set forth by Charles Lubin. Ideals that require us to rise above all others to produce the highest-quality product possible.
2005:
The company began executing a bold and ambitious multi-year plan to transform Sara Lee into a company organized around its customers, consumers and geographies to better serve the ever-changing global marketplace.
2009:
Sara Lee opened The Kitchens of Sara Lee, a 120,000-square-foot innovation campus in Downers Grove, Illinois, that serves as North America’s research and development center of excellence. It houses more than 100 research and development professionals, including chefs, scientists, engineers and packaging designers. This marks the first time the company has had all of its North American food and beverage research and development capabilities under one roof. The new innovation campus was named “The Kitchens of Sara Lee” in honor of the company originally founded by Charles Lubin in 1949.