The closure of the Ruiz Foods Tulare plant will impact 215 employees. Google Street View photo

Ruiz Foods announced plans to close its Tulare manufacturing facility last week after 20 years of operations.

There will be 215 employees impacted by the closure, reported The Sun Gazette, with some employees given the opportunity to transfer to the frozen Mexican food manufacturer’s Dinuba plant.

The plant at 4002 K St. originally opened in 2004 as an extension of the Dinuba facility and was intended for additional short-term capacity. Ruiz Foods officials determined it was too small and required substantial investment “to remain a viable part of the Ruiz Foods network,” according to a statement.

The plant is expected to close at the end of the company’s fiscal year, between Aug. 30 and Sept. 13.

“While this is the right decision for our business, we recognize the impact on our valued Tulare team members and will be working to provide support and options during this transition…,” according to the statement from Ruiz Foods.

With more than 4,000 team members, Ruiz Foods has five manufacturing facilities in California, Texas and South Carolina. It announced the relocation of its headquarters from Dinuba to Texas about a year ago.