Ruiz Foods to Cut 176 Jobs at Dinuba, California Plant as Production Schedule Changes This Fall

Ruiz Foods will eliminate 176 positions at its Dinuba, California, manufacturing plant, with 170 layoffs scheduled for November 4 and six employees laid off between September 2 and September 9, according to a WARN notice reviewed by SFGATE and a company statement. The cuts represent 12.5 per cent of the plant's workforce, which currently employs about 1,400 people.

Ruiz Foods Job Cuts Follow Production Changes

The company said the Dinuba facility will transition to a five-day production schedule beginning November 4. Ruiz Foods said the change is intended to 'better match production needs, align with operating schedules at other Ruiz Foods manufacturing facilities, and provide Dinuba employees with weekends off'.

Ruiz Foods President and CEO Kimberli Carroll said the workforce reduction was necessary to align production capacity with anticipated customer demand.

'This difficult decision impacts valued members of our team and is necessary to better align production capacity with anticipated customer demand,' Carroll said.

The Dinuba plant is not closing. Ruiz Foods said it remains a critical part of the company's manufacturing network and that planned capital investments will support its long-term role in the operation.

That distinction matters because the 176 job reductions represent a workforce cut at an operating facility, rather than the closure of the plant itself.

California Job Cuts Follow Earlier Tulare Closure

For context, the latest California layoffs follow another major workforce reduction by Ruiz Foods in the Central Valley. In 2024, the company closed its manufacturing facility in Tulare, affecting 215 employees.

At the time, Ruiz Foods said the facility was too small and required substantial capital investment to meet its manufacturing needs or remain a viable part of its network.

Ruiz Foods has deep roots in California. The family-owned company was founded in Tulare in 1964 by Fred Ruiz and his father, Louis Ruiz.

According to the company's history, it began in a small warehouse with two employees, a few appliances and Grandma Rosie's recipes for enchiladas, burritos and tamales. It later expanded its product range to hundreds of Mexican food items, including burritos, enchiladas, tamales and quesadillas, sold under brands including El Monterey and Tornados.

In 1990, Ruiz Foods built a manufacturing facility and distribution warehouse in Dinuba, where its headquarters were relocated. The company later expanded into Texas and South Carolina, opening additional manufacturing facilities.

Ruiz Foods Headquarters Move Adds Context

Ruiz Foods moved its headquarters from Dinuba to Frisco, Texas, in 2024. The relocation has featured in online discussion surrounding the latest California job cuts, but the company has attributed the current workforce reduction to production capacity and anticipated customer demand.

A Dinuba Facebook group discussing the layoffs included comments blaming California's taxes and business costs. Others linked the cuts to the earlier headquarters move. Those comments represent public opinion and do not establish the reason for Ruiz Foods' decision.

The company's scale has also changed over the years. During a 2021 UC Merced commencement speech, Fred Ruiz said estimated annual sales would be more than $1 billion and that the company employed about 4,000 team members across the country at the time.

For Dinuba workers, the immediate change is more concrete. Six employees have already been laid off, while another 170 are scheduled to lose their jobs on November 4 as the facility moves to a five-day production schedule.