DINUBA, Calif. -- Louis Flores Ruiz, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Ruiz Foods Inc., Dinuba, Calif., died Sunday morning at his home in Dinuba.
Ruiz Foods is the largest frozen Mexican food manufacturing company in the United States, the second largest Hispanic-owned manufacturing firm in the United States and the largest Hispanic-owned manufacturing firm in the State of California.
Louis Ruiz was born in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, on Oct. 30, 1918, to Mexican emigrants Luis and Lucita Ruiz. His parents chose to come to [image-nocss] America when Pancho Villa seized their land during the Mexican revolution.
Newly married with two children, and living in Los Angeles, Louis Ruiz became a United States citizen when he joined the Army on Dec. 27, 1944. After receiving an honorable discharge on Dec. 23, 1945, he worked as a grocery store owner, then as an insurance salesman and then, joining his brothers and brother-in-law, co-founded a tortilla factory where they pioneered the automation of tortilla productionmoving away from mechanical hand-thrown tortillaswhile maintaining product quality and consistency.
In 1964, Ruiz, in partnership with his son, Fred, formed Ruiz Foods Inc. He sold frozen enchiladas, tamales and burritos to mom-and-pop grocery stores throughout the Central San Joaquin Valley in the morning and delivered their orders in the afternoon.
Ruiz formally retired in 1990 but never really stopped working. He was known to visit the Dinuba Ruiz facility frequently and spend most of his time in the maintenance departmenthe loved to make and fix equipment.
While playing a key role in the growth and development of Ruiz Foods, his fondest memories included meeting President Ronald Regan and Vice President George Bush in the Rose Garden of the White House i
In 1983, Ruiz Foods received the U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Person's of the Year Award. Louis Ruiz meet President Ronald Regan and Vice President George Bush in the Rose Garden of the White House. During this visit to Washington, Ruiz was asked to participate in a military ceremony and placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
In October 2003, President George W. Bush came to Dinuba and to Ruiz Foods. As President Bush said of Louis Ruiz in his speech, I'd also like to thank the hospitality Louis Ruiz has shown me, the patriarch of this great family. He called Ruiz a dreamer who helped people to build and create [and] to realize their dreams.
Late in 2004, Louis Ruiz became the 14th person to be named to the Tortilla Industry Association Hall of Famea distinction reserved for those individuals who have made positive contributions to the industry through technical or significant innovations in products, equipment or ingredients while attaining business success.
Ruiz's family called him a gentle and loving husband, father, uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather; a loyal and inspiring mentor and friend; a pioneer and legendary entrepreneur; a generous and compassionate advocate of integrity, honesty, respect and the American Dream.
The family requests that any remembrances be made to: Ruiz 4 Kids, Louis F. Ruiz Scholarship Fund, P. O. Box 37, Dinuba, CA; LouisRuiz@Ruiz4Kids.com. Condolences may be sent to the family at RuizFamily@RuizFoods.com.
Ruiz Foods is a privately owned corporation. Third-generation Kim Ruiz Beck, the elder daughter of chairman and CEO Fred Ruiz, is vice chairman. Bryce Ruiz, the elder son, is president and COO. The company offers authentically prepared frozen Mexican foods selling to all channels of distribution: retail, convenience store, entertainment, clubs, vending, industrial and foodservice. The signature brand is El Monterey.
CSP sends condolences to Ruiz's family, friends and colleagues.
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