Insignia International, the Denver-based food company specializing in Hispanic and Southwestern flavors, has appointed Jason Parasco as its CEO.
The leadership transition comes as Insignia accelerates its national expansion strategy through its core brands including 505 Southwestern, Lilly B’s, Yucatan Guacamole and La Tortilla Factory, among others, according to a news release. Several of Insignia’s brands have recently posted double-digit growth and are consistently beating category averages, the company says.
Parasco succeeds Adam Butler, who was instrumental in leading Insignia’s rebranding from Flagship Food Group in 2024 and helped develop several new products and categories for the business. Butler recruited and mentored Parasco and has helped create a seamless leadership transition, according to the release.
“This is the fulfillment of a dream — building a company with heart, hustle and purpose,” Parasco says. “At Insignia, we don’t follow flavor trends, we create them. We’re leaning into the explosive growth of Hispanic cuisine and creating bold, authentic products that outperform in the marketplace and on consumers’ tables. With an entrepreneurial approach, faster decisions and what I call a ‘Street Fighter mentality,’ we’re ready to punch above our weight class and take our leading brands national.”
Founded in 2007 as Flagship Food Group and rebranded as Insignia International, the company says it is positioned to accelerate growth through flavor-forward product innovation, strategic retail expansion and category leadership in the premium Hispanic food segment, which has seen Hispanic flavors recently overtake Italian cuisine in mainstream American consumption for the first time.
Parasco, who joined Insignia in early 2024 as chief sales officer, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and is a former Unaval officer, according to the release. The company says he brings disciplined leadership and a proven track record in the consumer packaged goods space, having helped scale Sovos Brands from under $100 million to over $1 billion in revenue. At Insignia, he has unified the company’s sales operations around a core growth portfolio and led successful retail expansions into major chains including Walmart, Kroger, Publix and Costco.
Under Parasco’s leadership as CSO, Insignia says it achieved significant retail wins, including expanding its craft salsa line into 1,400 Walmart stores and securing placement for its Hatch Magic Chips across 2,000 Kroger locations. His flavor-first, consumer-led strategy elevated Yucatan Guacamole to the No. 1 guacamole position at Publix following a reformulation, the company says.
As consumer demand continues to rise for clean-label, premium Hispanic foods, Insignia says it is investing heavily in innovation, like its flame-roasted Hatch chile salsas and chunky craft guacamoles, while also actively pursuing strategic acquisitions that align with its growth goals. The company is especially focused on U.S. consumers aged 25 to 50, a demographic now driving mainstream adoption of Hispanic cuisine. The company’s premier brand, 505 Southwestern, known for its Hatch green chile products, is expanding from its regional Southwest stronghold to pursue national distribution.
Looking ahead, Insignia says is actively pursuing strategic acquisitions in the premium Hispanic segment. The company is also currently preparing for its peak Hatch green chile season, during which Insignia processes a significant portion of the total volume from New Mexico’s Hatch Valley, known as the “Sonoma of green chile.”
“This next chapter isn’t about chasing growth for the sake of it,” Parasco says. “It’s about earning it through focus, consistency and flavor-first innovation that truly connects with modern shoppers.”
