Richard Ruiz, president of Ruiz Sales, a leading shipper of tropical fruits from Mexico, with an emphasis on Persian limes, believes the state of Texas is well positioned for prosperity in the future, owing to a favorable geographic location and improvements to infrastructure, especially around the Rio Grande Valley area.

“We believe that great things are in store for Texas in the years ahead, especially the area of the Rio Grande Valley,” said Ruiz, whose company is located in Pharr, TX. “At Ruiz Sales, we believe that due to the new infrastructure that has finished construction in Mexico, which directly connects Mexican growing areas to Texas, we are going to start seeing an increase of business with produce that is bound for the East Coast.” 

By crossing in Texas, Ruiz said that shippers will see freight savings of anywhere between $500 to $700 per load, which means that more and more Mexican growers, shippers and distributors are going to be setting up shop in the Rio Grande Valley in order to take advantage of the savings. 

“Thanks to the low prices of gas, freight rates coming out of Texas are as low as ever,” he said. “I think that this area is going to see a massive increase in industry growth, as well as the creation of new jobs and opportunity for more business in the Rio Grande Valley.”

Ruiz said he is planning to take advantage of this future growth but will continue to abide by his philosophy of always providing the best possible product and the highest possible customer service.

“Our Ruiz Sales premium quality Mexico Persian and key limes, marketed under our Fresh Health brand, with full 100 percent PTI and Databar traceability are selling better than ever thanks to this new pathway into the United States,” he said. “Here at Ruiz Sales, our company philosophy is to serve the consumer with best possible quality product we can provide them. We believe that by delivering a great product to the consumer, this will create repeat business, which will generate a good customer buying experience.” 

He said this philosophy is even more important than simply having a lower price than competitors.

“Our customer-first philosophy combined with the freight savings from Mexico has generated strong sales in 2015, and will only continue to grow as more and more of the industry takes advantage of the advantageous position of the Rio Grande Valley.”

Ruiz Sales recognizes the importance of reaching new produce consumers like the millenials and members of Generation Y, who are demanding of high-quality product and not as price-conscious.

“We have been focusing on the new consumer by providing them the best possible premium quality Mexico Persian limes at the best possible price, which continues to drive sales in a variety of markets, from California to Florida,” said Ruiz. “By giving the customer what they want, and by giving them a great customer experience, we are giving these customers their dollar’s worth.”

Providing great value has been a key tenet in Ruiz Sales since the inception of the company. Poor-quality fruit may cost less, but increased shrinkage at the retail level and a poor eating experience at the consumer level actually costs more when a lack of repeat business is taken into account.

“These fruits have less shelf life, which increases shrinkage not only at the retailer level, but also in the customer’s home,” said Ruiz. “This makes the fruit more expensive for the customer overall, especially for our moms and kids. These fruits may not be fully PTI compliant as well, which increases the health risks of consuming these fruits. All of these factors serve to produce a bad experience that has a chilling effect on our industry. As the customer has a bad experience, they purchase less fresh produce and focus more on other products, which hurts the industry as a whole.” 

Ruiz said the produce industry is still the only industry than can solve a majority of health issues just by encouraging more consumption, but that can only be accomplished with the best quality and service. 

“It’s no secret that the largest budget expense in the United States is our healthcare budget,” said Ruiz. “The healthcare budget is almost 25 percent of our entire economy, and one-quarter of our spending goes to medicine. We can reduce this number significantly by helping Americans eat better, which makes more people healthy and helps us by reducing the tax burden on our citizens — taxes that pay for the health issues that come from heart disease, obesity and other issues are diet-related.”

In closing, Ruiz said the produce industry has the responsibility and the power to create real change not only in the industry but in every family in America.

“Let our product be our best advertisement, and let’s focus on giving the customer what they want and need,” he said. “If we invest in our customers, then they will invest in us.”