GETTING TO KNOW: KIMBERLI CARROLL
Ruiz Foods has established a legacy of creating exceptional food since 1964. This family-owned company, rooted in California’s Central Valley, produces America’s leading frozen Mexican food brand, El Monterey®, as well as the popular on-the-go snack, Tornados®. Under the leadership of Kimberli Carroll, its President & CEO, the company is delighted to share exciting new offerings while delivering convenience, value, and great taste to American families for more than half a century.
In November 2024, Kimberli made history as the first woman supplier executive inducted into the Convenience Store News (CSNews) Hall of Fame. This organization honors pioneers and innovators in the convenience store industry from both the retailer and supplier sectors. According to The Business Journal, “CSNews Hall of Famers are selected by an 80-member blue-ribbon panel of convenience channel executives that includes past retailer and supplier Hall of Fame inductees.”
This honor represents a full-circle moment for Kimberli, as both she and Ruiz Foods began their journeys in Tulare County. “I was born in Dinuba, CA, and raised in Orosi,” recalls the Orosi High School alumni. She earned an Associate of Arts in Business Administration from Kings River Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Fresno Pacific University. While Ruiz Foods started small, it has since expanded to facilities in California, Texas, and South Carolina. With Kimberli Carroll at the helm, America’s favorite frozen Mexican food brand is poised to become an even more formidable culinary force.
LB How did you initially come to be part of the Ruiz Foods family?
KC In early 2001, I received a phone call from an executive recruiter looking for a seasoned marketer with foodservice experience to interview with a frozen food company headquartered in Dinuba, CA. The recruiter had no idea that I was born and raised in the Central Valley and knew Dinuba well. Fortunately, my experience working for the California Tomato Commission and later as a sales and marketing manager for a tomato grower and distributor helped me develop the skills needed to be a good fit for the position. I got the job and have been with Ruiz Foods since March 26th, 2001.
LB How did your upbringing influence your professional development and leadership style?
KC I grew up working in packing houses in Orosi and Cutler every summer and during school breaks. My dad made sure we understood and appreciated the value of physical work, and I really do. Our team members who work in our facilities are the heart and soul of Ruiz Foods. No amount of marketing or fancy packaging can replace the efforts of the more than 3,500 team members who take pride in making great quality food every day. The work they do is the most significant connection we have to our consumers. My leadership style endeavors to embrace that contribution by being transparent, up and down the organization, so our whole team can find purpose in their contribution.
LB In what ways does your professional background inform your approach at Ruiz?
KC I worked for 14 years in the produce industry before moving to Ruiz Foods. Nothing will prepare you for being action-oriented like marketing and selling a short-shelf-life product. It also prepares you for navigating the never-ending onslaught of ever-changing market conditions. I know this a common experience for many who make their home in the Central Valley.
For the last 24 years, my training ground has been Ruiz Foods. I have been learning during every step of the journey…from our customers, industry representatives, Ruiz team members, and the Ruiz family. It has been a great blessing to have worked alongside so many talented and wonderful people who have invested their time and shared so much of their knowledge with me.
LB Tell us about your transition into President & CEO and what your role entails.
KC My transition to President and CEO has been an amazing learning experience, both about myself and about many facets of the business. I have been with Ruiz Foods for a long time, so I have had some great exposure, but in the last couple of years that exposure has been amplified by all the marketplace challenges. The former CEO and now Chairman of the Board, Dan Antonelli, created opportunities for me to be engaged in the broader business, including a stint as the CMO and then the COO before taking the helm as President.
The volume of what I have been exposed to is a bit like being dropped in the ocean, but always with a life-preserver nearby. It taught me that I will never, ever, personally know everything there is to know about our business; fortunately, I am working with a remarkable team of leaders, each an expert in their respective areas. My endeavor is to understand the framework and know enough to ask good questions. I really do believe, “All of us are smarter than any of us,” to quote Ken Blanchard. And, even more importantly, it takes all of us to make the business hum.
My job as President and CEO is to serve this team by providing an environment that encourages transparency, communication, and collaboration, and allows everyone to have the opportunity to have a voice. Senior leadership is involved in all the critical discussions about the business so we can ensure that everyone is aligned, and we are moving forward together.
LB How is this “changing of the guard” significant for the future of Ruiz Foods?
KC I am fortunate to be standing on the shoulders of remarkable leaders who have shaped this business over the last 60 years. The challenge moving forward is to propel the company ahead through technology and improve processes while continuing to honor what got us here…great people making great food that our consumers love.
LB What makes your leadership style unique? What are you doing differently?
KC I am all about teamwork and simple, direct communication, so everybody knows where we are going and what we are doing. I am very straightforward and appreciate conversation with folks that are working in earnest to drive results for the business. At Ruiz Foods, we really believe that team members at all levels of the organization are critical to our success, so keeping them informed is a top priority. As our founder Fred Ruiz has often said, “Our team members are our secret sauce.”
LB How are you too paving the way for others in this industry?
KC If you are walking the road, then you are paving the way, whether it is your intention or not. The ones that have come before me have left a legacy of knowledge, both what works and sometimes what doesn’t. I will strive to share everything I learn along the way, ensuring that whoever takes the baton from me can lead us to even greater success.
LB How are Ruiz Foods’ Central Valley roots still part of the brand’s identity and evolution?
KC Being from the Central Valley of California is to know great Mexican food and Mexican food is the heart of our El Monterey® and Tornados® products. The recipes from Fred Ruiz’s mother, Rose, are the inspiration for many of our authentic products and that will never change.
LB As a family-owned company that was founded in the Central Valley, share about the significance of Ruiz Foods now being a nationally distributed brand.
KC The business was founded in Tulare in 1964 by Louis and Fred Ruiz, a father and son team whose mission was to bring great tasting Mexican food to small format stores in the Valley. When the business first started, they never dreamed that their work-ethic, tenacity, and commitment to great food would take the business as far as it has come. They are the embodiment of the achievement of the American Dream. Our El Monterey® burritos, chimichangas, and taquitos are in grocery, club, and dollar stores across the U.S. and Canada and our Tornados® roller grill products, are sold in convenience stores across the U.S. and Canada as well. This level of success stems from a commitment to the quality of the food, a constant effort to delight consumers, strong support from our suppliers, and building great relationships with our incredible customers.
LB What does induction into the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame mean to you?
KC It is an absolute honor, both for me and for all of us at Ruiz Foods. We are so proud of the growth of our Tornados® for the roller grill and for the opportunity to bring Mexican inspired products to our consumers. It has been a true partnership with our C-Store customers, working together to bring great food to the C-Store shoppers. This is an industry that really strives to continue to evolve. It has been wonderful to have been a part of that evolution over the last 20+ years.
LB Tell us about your family and hobbies, as well as any other passions.
KC I have been married for 25 years to my best friend, Chris. He is an amazing partner and challenges me to be a better version of myself. I am very sure I would not have had the wonderful career that I have enjoyed had it not been for his partnership in my life. We have an incredible daughter, now 22, who is stepping into her own with the beginning of her adult life. It is a joy to see our child find her place in this world. As for my hobbies, I weight train, I love to read, and my husband and I both enjoy good wine.
LB What are you most looking forward to in the coming years, both professionally and personally?
KC I feel like we are just starting to hit our stride for our next wave of growth. Fortunately, consumers love Mexican and Mexican-inspired food, and we do that better than anyone. It’s our time to shine and we are. Nothing could give me more personal satisfaction than leading this incredible team through this next phase.
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Natalie Roberson Photography
