Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabi Humbles Llanes.
Hi Gabi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I moved to the USA sponsored by a corporate job in the cosmetics Industry when I was 25 years old. I then transferred to another company in 2002 and worked for them for almost 23 years. From 2012 until 2024 I was their Executive Director of Marketing and in charge of all global purchases and inventory management. After Covid and all the changes that came with it, I finally decided to fulfill my dream of becoming a business owner. It took me a few years of research and a lot of “talking about it” until I chose Häagen-Dazs and, luckily, they also chose me (and my husband) as new franchisees for North Miami. In March 2024 we opened our first shop in North Miami at 1809 NE 123rd Street, Causeway Square. Recently, in May 2025, we opened our second shop in Miami Beach (North Beach, 6978 Collins Avenue).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been smooth, but it is rewarding to own a family business and to have a community feel for it. Finding the right location, negotiating long term lease, dealing with all the construction process, difficulties, licenses, permits, inspections, etc. It’s never easy. But both shops are absolutely gorgeous, and our teenage kids also work with us a few days a week. Our 4th grader dreams of working at the shop too and he is so proud to talk about Häagen-Dazs to his friends. I manage the shops directly myself and I enjoy building strong teams that we can trust. It’s hard work finding the right people, interviewing, training and managing schedules. Most of them are young and work part-time. Some of them have been with us since we opened the first shop, which makes me very proud.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I graduated in Mass Communication and Advertising with a master’s degree in business. My career in the cosmetics industry started in Brazil, in sales and marketing for an international company. I speak 5 languages, from which English, Portuguese, Spanish and French fluently. I had worked in the industry for 4 years when I had a job offer based in Miami, Florida, from a similar international distribution company, being the Sales Manager for their Duty-Free markets in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. I then transferred to another company, where I worked for 23 years and, from 2012 to 2024, I was their Executive Director of Marketing, in charge of Global purchases, inventory management, all Marketing and a lot of their operations.
But above all that, I have always been a leader that leads by example and with a lot of pride in helping my employees learn and grow to their best potential. I always gave my all and made my team extremely successful and united.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Our two Häagen-Dazs franchises were 100% built and are managed by me and my husband, Delvis Llanes. In our team, we also have our own teenage kids, working with us a few days a week. We have a great team that has fun while working, since ice cream is an amazing product to sell and they do their very best to make our customers happy. We strive to do well for the community, participating in school events in the neighborhood and sponsoring youth athletic tournaments, charity events and others. We donate to the school and bring ice cream to end of the year parties. We are thankful to the Häagen-Dazs Corporate team for giving us this opportunity and always being available when we need their support. I could spend hours writing about each and every one that has played a big role in my life and my career, but there have been way too many people that helped me be who I am today. I thank them all, and they know who they are. But, above all, I thank my family for having supported me transition from high ranked executive in a corporate office to retail hands-on business owner. It’s a pleasure to grow the business together and I can’t wait to see what the future brings us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hdicecream.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haagendazs_northbeach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565876188669
