100 Years Strong: Torani’s Commitment to Creating Opportunities Fuels Record Double-Digit Growth

The century-old flavor manufacturer spotlights how creating opportunities year-round drives real, sustainable growth and impact across its entire value chain.

SAN LEANDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Torani, a leading flavor company since 1925, today announced that it has sustained an average 20% compounded annual growth rate for an unprecedented 34 years. In its centennial year, the company is outperforming its own strong record, generating $150M more in revenue than last year and accelerating toward becoming a $1 billion business by 2030. These milestones stand in contrast to widespread headlines about economic volatility and automation-driven workforce cuts, underscoring how Torani’s people-first, opportunity-driven business model continues to fuel long-term success.

With a 100-year track record as a “people-first” company, Torani has never conducted layoffs and instead grew its workforce by 26% in 2025 and plans to expand it an additional 29% next year to meet rising demand for its flavors in drink shops and home kitchens across 30 countries.

“Being a radically people-first company isn’t about just one program or one season. For us, it’s at the core of who we are,” said Melanie Dulbecco, CEO at Torani. “We believe businesses can and should create more opportunities for people to get ahead. Before every decision, we ask: ‘Will this create a circle of success for our people, partners, customers, and community?’ That’s how we create real impact that is sustainable, and it is a key reason that our growth continues to accelerate.”

A certified B Corp since 2019, Torani invests in building opportunities both inside and outside the organization. Its recent “Flavor of the Year 2026” launch donates all profits to nonprofits focused on creating life-changing first-job opportunities across our country. Internally, Torani supports team members in developing skills, building careers, and sharing in its financial success, creating pathways to economic mobility that can transform families’ trajectories.

Expanding Career Pathways & Creating Opportunity for All

As technology rapidly evolves, Torani is committed to using innovation to uplift people rather than replace them. While many companies use technology to automate and eliminate jobs, Torani takes the opposite approach. Its “Automate & Elevate” strategy uses new technologies to streamline processes which creates opportunities for its employees to build transferable skills, take on more meaningful work, and grow their earnings. These “Automate & Elevate” efforts impact every single role in Torani’s San Francisco Bay Area “Flavor Factory” where more than 200 team members are finding new work opportunities thanks to this forward-thinking approach.

Torani’s significant sustained growth is driving plans to add 105 new employees in 2026 and to continue leveraging new technology as operations scale. A recent production line upgrade added an automated sleever that has reduced manual work and opened up higher-skilled opportunities for team members. Before the update, manufacturing team member Tatiana Flores spent most of her shift manually feeding labels into the equipment. Now, the sleever requires only one refill during her eight-hour shift, freeing her focus for higher-value work, learning new machine-centric skills, and increasing her compensation. That kind of upskilling is supported by programs such as Torani’s “Career Mixology” and “Skill Blocks,” which provide additional structured pathways for employees to gain expertise and advance into higher-wage roles.

In 2026, the company will also expand its “Career Camp” initiative, inviting Opportunity Youth (young people disconnected from both school and work) to discover hands-on careers at the Flavor Factory while connecting with team members to explore potential long-term work opportunities. This effort supports Torani’s local community, helps build its long-term talent pipeline, and gives their employees a meaningful chance to connect and share their skills with young people.

Brewing Opportunity: The Barista Training Program

Another example of Torani’s community-focused commitment is its Barista Training Program, piloted earlier this year with nonprofit partner East Bay Innovations. The program provides adults with developmental disabilities hands-on barista training, real-world experience, and pathways to first jobs in cafés. Graduates transition into 12-week paid internships across the Bay Area, building the confidence and skills needed for long-term employment. The program will expand in 2026 with additional partners and café placements.

“At Torani, we believe that opportunity should never be limited by circumstance,” said Stacy Cooper Dent, Vice President of Purpose & Strategic Mobilization at Torani. “By partnering with East Bay Innovations and our café network, together we’re creating a path for people to build skills, gain confidence, and step into meaningful work. These partnerships strengthen communities and create real opportunity.”

A Growth Model Built on Shared Prosperity

Through its Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), Torani distributes company stock to every team member each year, ensuring all employees share directly in the success they are creating. With revenue accelerating toward $1 billion by 2030, this employee-owned model enables long-term wealth-building for team members at every level.

Team members across all departments, from frontline manufacturing to leadership, not only receive ESOP shares, but also annual bonuses and profit sharing. This inclusive approach means that team members who start in entry-level roles can accumulate more than $1 million in assets after 25 years and $1.6 million after 30 years—a powerful reflection of Torani’s belief that success should be shared.

By investing in people first and expanding its “circle of success” across its team and communities, Torani continues to demonstrate how purpose-driven growth creates lasting impact.

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 cafés, 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.