Torani's Opportunity-Driven Manufacturing Strategy Powers Climb Toward $1 Billion

Business Wire

4 days ago

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As U.S. manufacturers struggle to hire and retain talent, century-old flavor company Torani is defying this trend by growing and scaling its manufacturing, leading the way to a bold future for the industry. The mid-market company is rapidly expanding its San Francisco Bay Area operations with an exceptionally high retention rate of 94.8%, well above the manufacturing industry average of 71.4%.
Torani's average employee tenure is five and a half years—far surpassing the national average of 3.9 years, even with 44% of the team hired in just the last two years during a period of rapid growth.
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With roughly 1.8 million monthly layoffs in the U.S. and nearly 2 million manufacturing jobs expected to go unfilled by 2033, Torani is achieving the opposite of these figures as it steadily fills manufacturing roles and maintains a track record of zero layoffs for 100 years and counting.
Torani's state-of-the-art 'Flavor Factory' isn't built on automation alone; it's also powered by opportunity. As a fiercely independent, people-first 'opportunity company,' Torani's workforce is its growth engine. The company's average employee tenure is five and a half years—far surpassing the national average of 3.9 years, even with 44% of the team hired in just the last two years during a period of rapid growth. By consistently evolving its business strategy, offering valuable upskilling programs, and providing team members with long-term wealth-building opportunities, Torani is charting the course for the future of U.S. manufacturing.
'At Torani, we're rewriting the rules of American manufacturing and proving that being an 'opportunity company' is the best way to build a thriving business,' said Torani CEO Melanie Dulbecco. 'We believe that businesses can and should create more opportunities for people to get ahead—both economically, and in learning, growth, and development. When our team members stay for decades and choose to build long-term careers here, that's the strongest validation of our purpose.'
Team member satisfaction is also evident from the number of employees bringing family members into roles at the growing company. With over 20 families working side by side at Torani, team members aren't just proud to be employed here; they trust that it's a future-ready, values-driven company where their loved ones can also grow and thrive.
Torani's approach is working: the company has seen an average 20% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) consistently for over three decades, with its products found in 9 million U.S. households and in 30 countries. Torani surpassed $500 million in annual revenue last year, with $1 billion in sight by 2030. The company has achieved this all while operating and scaling in one of the country's most expensive markets—the San Francisco Bay Area, known as a hub for the high-tech industry. Torani recently expanded its operations to include over 630,000 square feet in San Leandro, CA, making it not only one of the region's few remaining food and beverage manufacturers, but also one of the largest.
The steady undercurrent of success powering Torani's growth lies in its unique 'people-first' principles that fuel both short and long-term opportunities for its team of over 400 employees.
Creating Opportunity Onramps
Torani offers its team members several pathways to learn, grow, and develop, including 'Career Mixology,' which empowers employees to pivot to different roles and departments. 'Skill Blocks' enable Torani's front-line team members to acquire specialized skills, each opening the door to earn more income. Torani also embraces a philosophy of 'automate and elevate,' where instead of eliminating jobs through automation, it leverages automation as a tool to build team members' skills and elevate their workflows, thus growing their compensation.
The company has unlocked tremendous potential in its internal training programs to reimagine its manufacturing department, making it more inclusive, empowering, and geared for long-term growth. While these initiatives are still in relatively early stages, Torani has established a strong foundation, with team members' progress pointing to a meaningful long-term impact. Efforts will be accelerated in the coming year as the company doubles down on its commitment to these programs.
Fair Wages + Employee Ownership
Torani believes that compensation should be about more than just pay; it should create opportunities. While many manufacturing companies pay minimum wage and offer minimal benefits to entry-level employees, Torani's approach is a more holistic approach. For entry-level manufacturing roles, the company ensures that team members have competitive base pay, long-term wealth building financial opportunities, benefits, and pathways to build important, transferable skills.
In addition to receiving competitive base compensation, all Torani team members share in the growing company's success. Team members in frontline roles receive multiple long-term financial benefits, including a minimum of 5% of their salary in an employee stock ownership program (ESOP), 5% in financial bonuses, and 5% in profit sharing. While some companies only offer these benefits to some employees, Torani offers all of them to every employee. This unique approach to wealth-building allows team members who start in entry-level, hourly roles to accumulate $1 million or more in assets after 25 years and $1.6 million or more after 30 years of employment.
Generational Employment
At Torani, over 12% of the company's 400 team members have family working alongside them, a reflection of the company's deep-rooted culture and its commitment to generational opportunity and long-term career growth.
'Torani is a place where people support each other and build lasting careers,' said Dio Mejia, a Torani team member of 12 years who started in manufacturing before moving to an automation and controls technician role last year. 'That's why I've encouraged my family members to join over time—because we see a future here. As the company evolves, so do the opportunities for all of us to grow together.'
Since starting at Torani in 2013, Dio has referred his two daughters, Yna and Kiana, to manufacturing roles at the company. They have now worked at Torani for seven and five years, respectively, with Yna transitioning into a processing position and Kiana transitioning to a quality assurance role through the company's 'Career Mixology' program.
Torani also offers a unique internship program, focused on creating valuable first job opportunities. Prioritizing immediate relatives of current team members (with a focus on front-line employees), the program does not require participants to be enrolled in higher education programs. Participants gain visibility into a wide range of potential career paths—including manufacturing, marketing, customer service, social impact, and more—to generate powerful resume boosters to fuel more opportunities ahead, including within the company.
Manufacturing With Purpose
With a motto of 'flavor for all, opportunity for all,' Torani isn't just generating opportunities internally for its team members; it's also expanding its impact outside its walls and creating opportunities across various communities. A certified B Corp since 2019, the company weaves purpose into all facets of its business. With the recent release of its ' Flavor of the Century,' Torani Diamond Syrup, Torani is giving 100% of profits to non-profit organizations creating work readiness and first job opportunities for at-risk youth, adults with intellectual disabilities, and justice-impacted individuals.
With 100 years of innovation and resilience under its belt, Torani is setting the standard for U.S. manufacturing and redefining what's possible by creating opportunities at every level.
About Torani
Torani is deeply committed to being an amazing flavor company whose purpose is 'flavor for all, opportunity for all.' Established in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood in 1925, we put Italian sodas on the U.S. map in the 1920s and created the world's first flavored latte in the 1980s. From the beginning, we've used only the best ingredients, like natural flavors and pure cane sugar, to craft flavors that are vibrant and delicious. Enjoyed in cafes, restaurants, and home kitchens for 100 years, Torani strives to lead flavor innovation globally while remaining a fiercely independent, people-first Bay Area business. In practice and life beyond the bottle, Torani is a certified B Corp that believes businesses should create more opportunity, and we're dedicated to helping all the people, partners, and communities we touch thrive. Learn more at torani.com.