Who would have thought a scrappy little flavor company could transform itself into a 90-year-old startup? After leading Torani in achieving 25% growth per year for 15+ years, Melanie Dulbecco saw growth rates fall to low-single digits. She wondered if the maker of flavored syrups and sauces would ever be able to achieve startup-like growth again. Given poor economic conditions and amassing competition, low growth seemed a reasonable reset to expectations. Refusing to believe that, this self-professed strategy geek committed to a year-long “Learning Journey” with her management team, meeting with and learning from innovative companies about creating a culture for sustained growth.

In her Tugboat Summit 2016 talk, Dulbecco shares her insights and guiding principles for an effective Learning Journey and explains how this approach has shaped Torani’s culture of Pragmatic Innovation and Paced Growth.