Torani, the 101-year-old San Leandro, California-based syrup maker, has never laid off an employee — and CEO Melanie Dulbecco says that record will hold even as artificial intelligence reshapes the workplace. The company is now projected to hit $800 million in annual revenue with a team of 500 employees, following 35 years of roughly 20% annual growth.
A Century of Growth Without Layoffs
Torani’s story began in 1925, when its founders started selling handmade drink syrups in San Francisco. The business pivoted to liqueurs after Prohibition ended in 1933, then found its signature niche with coffee syrups in 1982. Dulbecco joined in 1991, when Torani had just nine employees and $700,000 in annual revenue. Since then, the company has grown its lineup from five flavors to more than 150 and says its early vanilla syrup helped launch the flavored-latte category altogether.
Putting People Before Technology
Rather than viewing AI primarily as a cost-cutting tool, Dulbecco frames it as a way to redesign how employees add value. Instead of asking how many jobs automation could eliminate, she asks what her workforce could focus on next. That philosophy, she says, has built deep trust: because Torani has never used new technology as a reason to cut staff, employees are more willing to experiment with AI tools rather than fear them. Dulbecco added that in today’s tight labor market, Torani hasn’t struggled to hire — something she credits to the company’s reputation for valuing every role.
Her broader message to other business leaders is that financial performance and employee investment aren’t competing priorities. At Torani, she says, prioritizing people has proven to be good business strategy, not just good ethics.