Butler, Former Kraft Heinz Senior Executive, Joins as Company Disrupts the Premium Hispanic and Southwestern Foods Space
(Denver, CO) – November 15, 2023 – Flagship Food Group announced today that it has appointed Adam Butler as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and member of the Company’s Advisory Board.
Prior to joining Flagship, Butler had a highly successful 17-year career at Kraft Heinz where he spearheaded the transformation for many of the brands in the U.S. as President for the convenient meals, frozen, coffee, cold beverages, and nuts categories. Most recently, Butler led the No. 2 Global Kraft Heinz market by accelerating topline, margin, market share, and employee engagement growth as the CEO of Kraft Heinz Canada. Butler had senior leadership over brands including Kraft Mac & Cheese®, Lunchables®, Planters®, Ore-Ida®, Maxwell House®, Kool-Aid® and Bagel Bites®, among others.
“We are so excited about Adam joining our company as we enter a new chapter of growth of our brands, products, and facilities,” said Rob Holland, Flagship Food Group’s Executive Chairman. “Having acquired five businesses and more than doubled our business in recent years, we’ve been carefully considering candidates for this position for quite some time. We met a number of outstanding people in the process; and Adam is someone with the unique combination of skill, experience, and passion that I know will make a great leader.”
Holland will remain Chairman of the Board and will continue to provide strategic leadership as the business develops into the future.
“I could not be more humbled and honored to join Rob and the Flagship group in the exciting journey ahead,” said Butler. “The market they serve is without question one of the most dynamic and influential drivers of food globally, and Flagship is well positioned to be an explosive and transformative leader in the space. I had the opportunity to spend time with a number of exciting and growing organizations looking for the right fit, and there is not a more impressive combination of brands, business models, culture and people out there.”
Based in Flagship’s Denver office, Butler will be charged with continuing the rapid growth the Company has been driving in its brands in recent years, while also creating a strategy to bring unity and cohesion to the overall enterprise.
“Flagship has truly become one of the largest and most important players in the Premium and Hispanic food space, and I’m excited to have attracted the talent that will leverage this position in the marketplace to drive accelerated growth, more solutions for our customers, and a broader reach to consumers across North America,” added Holland.
Flagship believes that its brands are amongst the fastest growing and most coveted in the industry; its 505 Southwestern and Young Guns brands are considered the largest and most historic brands in the Hatch Valley Green Chile space. Its Yucatan Guacamole brand was first-to-market in scaled retail guacamole nearly three decades ago and today, together with Cabo Fresh, creates one of the largest brand groups in the category. Its La Tortilla Factory brand was an early innovator in better-for-you tortillas and today remains the largest, nationally distributed brand of tortillas that is specifically focused on organic and better-for-you. Its TJ Farms brand is one the fastest growing brands in its category of frozen snacks, sides, and potato products. Flagship operates five plants and warehouses across California, Kansas, New Mexico, and Mexico, and maintains sales, R&D, and support facilities in Colorado, California, Idaho, and Minnesota.
“Flagship brings a growing stable of premium brands with rich heritage and unparalleled quality to one of the fastest growing segments in food. Together, we’re going to forge a new frontier of flavor, and I am extremely fortunate to get the chance to work alongside such a passionate and talented group,” said Butler.
