Famous Sriracha brand Huy Fong Foods warns customers of summer shortage
Although it’s heading into summer, the heat won’t be on for Sriracha fans.
Customers of the beloved Asian hot sauce brand, Huy Fong Foods, must brace themselves because the Irwindale, Calif.-based company announced it is experiencing a shortage, which is affecting its production supply.
In an April 19 letter to customers, Huy Fong Foods said it faces a “more severe shortage of chili” because of “weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers.”
“Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products (Chili Garlic, Sambal Oelek, and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce),” the letter stated.
Orders submitted on or after April 19 would be scheduled after Labor Day.
The brand – known for its rooster trademark – sources its chili peppers from Mexico which, along with the western U.S., is experiencing a drought.
Sauce aficionados have made Huy Fong a mainstay of American cuisine since Chinese-Vietnamese entrepreneur David Tran founded the brand in 1980.
According to lore, a woman named Thanom Chakkapak from the seaside community of Sri Racha in Thailand invented the spicy condiment in the 1930s as a cocktail sauce for seafood.
