California Exodus Watch — another California-born company is cutting jobs after moving its headquarters to Texas.
Ruiz Foods, the company behind El Monterey frozen Mexican foods and Tornados, is eliminating 176 jobs at its Dinuba plant in the Central Valley — about 12-and-a-half percent of the facility’s workforce.
The company started in Tulare, California, in 1964 with just two employees and Grandma Rosie’s recipes. It grew into what is widely considered the nation’s largest manufacturer of frozen Mexican food, eventually topping $1 billion in annual sales.
But in 2024, Ruiz moved its corporate headquarters from Dinuba to Frisco, Texas.
That same year, it closed its Tulare manufacturing plant, eliminating another 215 California jobs.
Now comes another 176.
Ruiz Foods executives said Texas offered something they couldn’t get in California’s Central Valley: a bigger talent pool, better access to customers and suppliers, a central location for its nationwide operations and greater business opportunities. Texas also provided incentives for relocating employees, like allowing relocating Ruiz employees and their families to qualify for in-state tuition at Texas higher-education institutions.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also explicitly promoted the state’s “business climate” as an advantage for Ruiz Foods.
But add it up: headquarters to Texas, a California plant closed, and nearly 400 California jobs eliminated since 2024.
Another California company that started small, became a billion-dollar business — and then moved its headquarters to Texas.
AI aided in compiling this report.
