In a case of culinary deja vu, California condiment brand Huy Fong Foods reportedly plans to halt its Sriracha production temporarily.
Last week, Huy Fong Foods told wholesalers that it will pause production of Sriracha, its massively popular hot sauce, until Labor Day after deeming its supply of jalapeños “too green” to be usable, per a letter obtained by USA Today. Huy Fong Foods reportedly added that all orders from May 6 onward would be canceled.
“We regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labor Day, when our next chili season starts,” the letter to wholesalers read, according to USA Today. Huy Fong Foods explained in the letter, “After reevaluating our supply of chili, we have determined that it is too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the color of the product.”
What gives the celebrated garlicky hot sauce its kick are the vibrant red jalapeños that Huy Fong Foods sources from Mexico, which help deliver the brand’s famously rich color and intense flavor. But red jalapeño crops are currently under stress. The Washington Post reports that the recent halt in Sriracha production could be linked to a major drought affecting northern Mexican states where jalapeño crops grow. The company also spent years in litigation with its former pepper supplier, a large family farm out of Ventura County.
While it might be too soon to call it a full-on Sriracha shortage, it’s not the first time Huy Fong Foods has left its cultlike following high and dry. During the Sriracha shortage last year, Huy Fong Foods Sriracha bottles were hard to come by. The ones available were sold online for as high as $100 on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. In one case, a Bay Area restaurateur offered a Sriracha bottle for the price of a $75 meal, while another secretly sold their 28-ounce bottle for $30. Of course, plenty of other brands like Kikkoman and Tabasco already make their own versions of Sriracha.
