Kicking the Door Open

On Nov. 13, Kimberli Carroll, president and CEO of Ruiz Food Products Inc., made history. That evening in Des Moines, Iowa, she took her place in the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame, becoming the first female executive to be inducted into the supplier wing. 

Carroll’s induction comes after 30-plus years of dedication to the food industry. She started her career in sales and marketing, and cultivated a strong base of knowledge in market assessment, product development, market strategy and channel execution. 

Her journey at Ruiz Foods, a frozen Mexican food company headquartered in Frisco, Texas, began in March 2001 as marketing manager for the foodservice division. Later that year, she was promoted to director of marketing for the foodservice and c-store divisions. 

In January 2009, she rose up the ranks to become vice president of sales and marketing, followed by a promotion to senior vice president four years later. From there, she continued her journey within the Ruiz Foods system, becoming general manager and then chief operating officer before being named president and CEO in January of this year.

During her tenure at Ruiz Foods, one of Carroll’s most significant contributions was working to develop a hot foods program for the c-store foodservice channel featuring a new product innovation called Tornados. The remarkable rise of this unique product resulted in Tornados being one of the most successful products in Ruiz Foods’ 60-year history.

A career centered around food seemed to always be in the cards for Carroll, as she recently told CSNews during an interview reflecting on her calling to the food industry. 

CSN: How does it feel to be the first woman supplier inductee into the Hall of Fame?

Carroll: I am incredibly honored and honestly, a little surprised. I have met some great women in this industry on both the retailer and supplier sides. If someone had to kick that door open, I am truly grateful to be the one.

CSN: Your career has primarily been centered around food and foodservice. How would you describe your journey? 

Carroll: Since graduating from college, the food industry has been my focus, but I was really born into it. I was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. More than 25% of the nation’s fruit, nuts and other crops come from the valley. My father worked for a grower/shipper and I spent many of my summers as a kid working in packing houses grading and packing citrus and stone fruit. My dad would always say, ‘People gotta eat.’

Not surprising, I started my journey working in the produce industry, first for a company that managed produce boards for the state of California. I then went to work for the California Tomato Commission and then into private industry, providing both marketing support and developing contract sales programs. In 2001, I got a call about an opening in foodservice marketing with a frozen food company in Dinuba, Calif. That company was Ruiz Foods and I am proud to say I have been there for 23 years. 

The opportunity to partner with a c-store retailer who was looking for new items to merchandise on the grill spurred the development of our roller grill taquitos. We have cultivated strong partnerships with retailers to support their grill initiatives and now, we are driving growth of Mexican and Mexican-inspired products for the hot case. Our latest innovation is a stuffed nacho that just got rave reviews at [the NACS Show] and will be in-market in a couple of months.

My journey within Ruiz Foods is really a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of the founders and how we still try to run the business today. We went from one plant in California to four plants in three states and now employ approximately 4,000 people. The reason it works and never gets old is because we don’t have the bureaucratic red tape of many large companies. We have embraced new technologies and systems, but we still seek to be nimble and accessible to our team. Good ideas come from everyone. 

CSN: What challenges have you faced along the way? 

Carroll: The biggest challenges in my career have really been around time and people. 

Time flies and that is really our most precious resource. Time to give to each of your team members to nurture them, work with them and help them achieve their potential. Time for your spouse and children, parents and friends and then … just time to think. Sometimes, we move so fast. It is important to take the time to step back and really think before taking the next step to make sure it is in alignment with your priorities and your values. 

CSN: Do you have any advice for someone facing those same challenges?

Carroll: My advice would be to figure out what you truly value, so you can spend your time on the things and with the people that matter the most to you. And work on developing your emotional intelligence, so you will have the tools to have the most positive impact on the people you serve and those in your charge. I wish I had understood that much earlier in my career.

CSN: When you think about your tenure at Ruiz Foods, what highlights come to mind?

Carroll: So many things. It’s been 23 years, so I have a lot of memories from which to draw. Certainly, being named to the CSNews Hall of Fame is a big one, so thank you. I was also one of CSNews’ Top Women in Convenience a few years ago, which was very nice. 

I appreciate the acknowledgment by the industry, for sure, but the really big highlights that stand out for me are the moments with my team when all the efforts come together and they know they did more than they even believed they could do. 

I believe my greatest career accomplishment so far has been reimagining how we might utilize shipper data to create data insights and analytics for the Foodservice Business Unit at Ruiz Foods. Because scan data is not readily available for products sold hot in foodservice, we lacked critical information on the size of the category, our own share, as well as that of our competitors. There were no tools to help develop deep-dive category analytics. My vision to utilize shipper data to cultivate marketplace insights has been a game-changer for the industry and sets Ruiz Foods apart from our competition. It has been a hallmark for going beyond what is known to what is possible. 

The evolution of this effort has resulted in a change to the industry, but it also resulted in an internal change at Ruiz Foods. The team developed confidence that we are much more than just a product for a price. They began to recognize the value we provide beyond the products that we sell. The team came to recognize that we can make substantive change in the marketplace and really be a leader in this space.

CSN: If you didn’t go into the food business, what would you have done?

Carroll: I honestly don’t know. I never had any aspirations outside of the food business when I was young. Now that I am older and have been exposed to more of the possibilities, I could see being more involved in real estate, construction or public relations. No matter what, I am sure it would have included working with teams to solve problems because that is my favorite thing to do. 

CSN: So, what is ahead for Ruiz Foods and for you? 

Carroll: At Ruiz Foods, we are on a mission to be America’s choice for Mexican and Mexican-inspired meals and snacks at home and on the go. To do that, we will continue to focus on what matters most to our consumers and our customers. We want our consumers to love our food and our customers to know that Ruiz Foods is a great partner in their success.

My job is to keep us laser-focused on that mission.