Ruiz Foods
 Fred Ruiz, Ruiz Foods, Chairman and CEO
It all started with a father’s dream that encouraged his son to take the family business to a new level as the largest Mexican frozen food company in the U.S. Fred Ruiz, chairman and CEO of Ruiz Foods, started the company in 1964 with his father, Louis.
"I was 21 years old at the time that my father asked me about my plans for the future," Ruiz said. "He was always an entrepreneur and entering the frozen Mexican food industry was a new business venture." Fred and his father started the business in a small warehouse that has since grown to three manufacturing plants and two distribution facilities in order to meet the growing demands of their customers. Ruiz Foods has 2,500 employees – and the largest percent are Latinos. The Ruiz Foods brand, El Monterey, is known for its burritos, taquitos, quesadillas and many more products. Walmart and Sam’s Club are two of Ruiz Foods’ largest customers with El Monterey products domestically. "It was many years ago when I first traveled to Bentonville with my daughter, Kim, to meet with the Sam’s Club frozen food buyer," Ruiz said. "The buyer offered to take our burritos. As we continued to visit with the buyer, I told him how we could make our partnership better with a variety of products in Sam’s Club." Ruiz credits his daughter, who, at the time was responsible for sales and marketing, for making El Monterey a success at Walmart and Sam’s Club. Today, Kim is vice chairwoman and Ruiz’ son, Bryce, is president and COO. "The success of our company can be attributed to the hard work that our family and our team members have put into all facets of Ruiz Foods," Ruiz said. "I’m nearing retirement age. I am glad to know that Kim and Bryce are equipped with the tools to expand on the company’s legacy."
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