Talking Shop with... Rachel Cullen

Talk about Ruiz Foods and its history.

Rachel Cullen: Ruiz Food Products was co-founded in 1964 by Fred Ruiz and his father, Louis, in a small rural community located in California’s Central Valley. Some of their first frozen Mexican food products included enchiladas, burritos and tamales—all based on the authentic family recipes of Fred’s mom Rose Ruiz.

Today the company remains family owned. Kim Ruiz Beck, Fred’s elder daughter, is chairman and Kim and her siblings, as members of the third Ruiz generation, are proud stewards of the company’s 50-plus year commitment to quality, convenience and innovation. Ruiz Foods now operates manufacturing facilities and distribution warehouses in California, Texas and South Carolina, and we are proud of the long-term partnerships we have with many of our customers as well as our vendors and suppliers.

What makes the Ruiz Foods unique?

Family ownership is what makes Ruiz Foods unique. Because of their ownership, we enjoy a warm, friendly culture, a unique nimbleness, a set of values and a commitment to re-investing in our future that is testament to our industry leadership and recognized expertise in the frozen Mexican food category. With a solid reputation for product quality, great taste, convenience and value, Ruiz Foods manufactures El Monterey—the No. 1 frozen Mexican food brand in the U.S. Products include burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas, enchiladas, chile rellenos, breakfast burritos, tamales and more. Our second brand, Tornados, was introduced just over ten years ago and is already a top snack food on convenience store roller grills. Both El Monterey and Tornados products are made using real cheeses, fresh ingredients and freshly made tortillas direct from our on-site bakery.  

How can Ruiz Foods help retailers build more sales
and profits?

We can help retailers build more sales and profits through our continued commitment—our promise—to quality, convenience and innovation in the products we bring to the shelf. In order to accomplish this, we work hard to listen to both our customers and consumers, remain on the cutting edge of innovation and deliver great taste and value. Our commitment remains at the forefront of every product we manufacture, so I am pleased to mention the recent completion of the Rose Ruiz Innovation Center. This new R&D facility is equipped with test kitchens, a state-of-the-art sensory science center, analytical and micro labs, a pilot lab for scale up and a packaging innovation center. It is important our customers know that by offering our products to their consumers, they are offering today’s families some of the very best choices in frozen Mexican food.  

What do retailers need to do to maximize sales and profits?

Knowing our commitment to quality, convenience and innovation, we work with our customers to leverage what we have learned about the consumer and what they are looking for in terms of taste, texture, heat and flavors.  What we learn from our own research, focus groups and consumer and category insights can bring a wealth of knowledge to very strategic conversations with our customers that can result in long-term loyalty with consumers who feel good about what they are buying for themselves and their families. We believe it is all about listening to what consumers want for themselves and their families and, then, innovating to bring to the shelf exactly what they want.

Talk about new products being introduced.

With several new products in the pipeline, we will continue to demonstrate our promise to work hard to deliver exciting, great tasting products our customers will be proud to offer to their consumers. An example is our El Monterey Signature Breakfast Burrito line, introduced nearly two years ago.  As a small manufacturer, we are proud of the significant growth of this line, which offers today’s consumer great taste and value in a category that demands convenience and portability.