Jason Parasco, CEO of La Tortilla Factory parent Insignia International, told Commercial Baking that the brand's refrigerated protein and sourdough tortillas, which launched at Walmart in April, are still made outside the company's own plants. He said Insignia prefers not to commit major capital in a product's first year until demand is clear.
Getting the formulas right took close to a year of trials. Protein-heavy doughs are tighter and less stretchy, so mixing time and water levels had to be retuned for the line, and sourdough is unforgiving on hydration, with a bad batch going to waste. Parasco said formulation drives breakage: “Dough formulation directly impacts breakage with tortillas.”
Insignia, based in Denver, also owns Mama Lupe's. Parasco pointed to shoppers seeking more protein, including GLP-1 users, as the main demand driver, and said the R&D team has also built a tortilla based on whey protein.
Insignia International La Tortilla Factory