Jumping The Growth Curve - A Learning Journey

Why does this almost 100-year-old company still act like a scrappy startup?

It was 2009. The financial crisis was in full swing and consumer spending had dropped off a cliff. Torani, a family-owned syrup company established in 1925, had been growing at 25% per year for over 18+ years. CEO Melanie Dulbecco was now facing growth rate projections of 4% and stiff competition from giant corporations coming into the product category.

So this self-professed group process geek committed to a yearlong “Learning Journey” with her management team. The idea was to meet with and learn from innovative companies, thought leaders, business partners and their customers. The result was a trip of transformation—for Torani and the team.

In this Tugboat Institute® 2016 talk, Melanie shares the insights and guiding principles from that year of discovery—timeless lessons for Evergreen® leaders dedicated to building leading and lasting companies.