Ruiz Foods' Florence County, South Carolina production facility via scpowerteam.com

A major local food manufacturer will be moving its headquarters out of the Central Valley.

On May 12, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Ruiz Food Products, Inc. will establish a regional headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

The Mexican food manufacturer’s move to North Texas will bring at least 125 jobs to the area by 2026, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

In May 2022 Gov. Abbott announced that Ruiz Foods planned to establish a regional headquarters in Frisco. Company officials said it would operate along with the Dinuba corporate headquarters.

“As we continue to plan the next phase of our growth, we have realized the need for a centrally located regional headquarters in a larger metropolitan area,” said Ruiz Foods President and CEO Dan Antonelli. “We believe selecting Frisco, Texas, will allow for greater business opportunities, more efficient access to each of our facilities, and easier recruitment of talent with important skill sets, such as consumer products, IT, and marketing experience.”

Last year, Kim Ruiz Beck, chair of Ruiz Foods, said that the company team loves California, but that it is burdensome with regulatory requirements. It is different operating in more business-friendly states, she added.

“We are a national business, and this decision will allow us to better serve both our customers and our manufacturing facilities,” said Ruiz Beck in the latest release.

Ruiz Foods currently has four production facilities — two in California (Dinuba and Tulare), one in South Carolina and one in Denison, Texas.

Beck said that most employees who relocated to the Frisco offices were settled in by January of this year.