SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Torani, a leading flavor company since 1925, released new internal data today showing its average tenure rate has reached 6.3 years, outpacing the national average by more than 53%. This above-average tenure rate, combined with the company’s nearly 100-year history with no layoffs, underscores that Torani’s unwavering people-first philosophy is its “secret sauce.”
This tenure rate is even more extraordinary when put into context: Torani has nearly doubled the size of its team over the last three years, while a staggering 20% of Torani team members have been with the company for 10+ years. The company expects to add another 100 positions by the end of 2024.
Torani has broken the mold of employee engagement by co-creating a workplace culture of caring deeply for its people and creating opportunities for team members to learn, develop, and grow. This innovative approach to employee development propels the company to thrive, as demonstrated by its well-above-average tenure rate and double-digit year-over-year CAGR growth for over 30 consecutive years. By prioritizing individual growth for its more than 300 team members, Torani sets the standard for steering an engaged and fulfilled workplace that’s set up for success over the long haul.
One strategic key performance indicator is how many current team members fill open positions. Torani’s goal is to fill at least 25% of open roles with existing staff, and the company has consistently met or outperformed this aggressive target.
“When our team members learn, develop, and grow is when we really win,” said Torani CEO Melanie Dulbecco. “We use a people-centric approach with everything we do and are dedicated to creating more opportunities for our team. In the last year, nearly 40% of our roles were filled internally by team members ready to take on new challenges, and when our team is staying with us much longer than most other companies, I know we’re on the right path,” she adds.
Torani’s retention rate flies in the face of U.S. national trends. Unemployment is at historic lows (3.8% as of September 2023) and over 1.7 million new jobs have been reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the last seven months, yielding new employment opportunities. At the same time, over 480,000 layoffs took place within the same time period. Now more than ever, employees are seeking value and purpose at work.
Torani ascribes its success to its people-first philosophy that prioritizes shared success, personalized career paths, and an innovative approach to professional development.
Contribution Management, a tool Torani formally began implementing in 2015, is the company’s “secret ingredient” for long-term growth. Unlike the traditional performance review, which focuses on the past, Contribution Management is driven by employee assessments and aspirations, and prioritizes expanding a team member’s potential and opportunities in the present and future.
“Contribution Management flips the traditional performance review on its head and creates opportunities to explore ways our team members’ careers can evolve,” said Becca Russell, Chief of People and Opportunity Development at Torani. “Ultimately, we’re dedicated to helping our team members have as robust and varied a career as they want at Torani. We believe people shouldn’t need to leave to explore new roles and build new skills; their next best opportunity can be right here at Torani.”
Career Mixology is another company-wide effort that contributes to Torani’s high retention rate. An internal framework created by Torani over 30 years ago, Career Mixology actively encourages people to pursue different careers within the organization with cross-discipline learning and opportunities to transition into new roles across various departments.
“After working for many years in warehouse operations at different companies where there hadn’t been opportunities, I came to Torani where it’s like family AND there are opportunities for everyone. I reached a point where I was really good at my job and I wondered, ‘What’s next?’ And that’s when I harnessed Career Mixology,” said Gary English, a 3Pl Operations Manager at Torani. “Career Mixology provided me the opportunity to expand my horizons; I was able to build on my skills and learn a whole new facet of them that wouldn’t have been possible somewhere else.”
About Torani
We are deeply committed to being an amazing flavor company; our purpose is “Flavor for All, Opportunity for All.” Flavor is not only what we make, but it is also what each of us brings and we believe companies can and should provide more opportunities for everyone. Established in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood in 1925, we put Italian soda 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 cafés, restaurants, and home kitchens around the world, we strive to inspire and lead flavor innovation globally while remaining a family-owned Bay Area business. In practice and life beyond the bottle, we’re a certified B-Corp that believes businesses should create more opportunity, and we’re dedicated to helping all of the people, partners, and communities we touch, thrive. www.torani.com.
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