The makers of the popular Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce are hitting the pause button, leaving spice lovers in a fiery predicament. Find out why this beloved condiment is taking a summer vacation and how you can cope with the shortage.
Sriracha Shortage?
The great Srirach saga of 2024 continues! Huy Fung Foods, the sauciers behind the cult-favorite Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, just confirmed scorching news. They'll be halting production of the beloved condiment until September for sure due to a serious shortage of red jalapeños. It's a chile crisis that has folks scrambling to stock up on the delicious rooster bottle sauce.
Pepper Partner Problems
Sriracha has been struggling with jalapeno supply chain issues since 2017. Their relationship with their former pepper purveyor, Underwood, ended in a lawsuit that cost the Sriracha makers over $20 million dollars in damages. To add insult to massive financial penalties, Underwood then went ahead and created their own Sriracha sauce as if they were taunting their former client. They aren't the only Sriracha on the shelves either, Tabasco, Frank's, Texas Pete, and more are making Sriracha-style sauces, so with this much competition in the market, this shortage is coming at an inopportune time.
A Spicy Saga
Huy Fung Foods has been facing production woes for the past three years, thanks to a partner problems and a relentless drought in Mexico. In 2022 and 2023, the company also had to put a temporary pause on its sauce shipments, leaving Sriracha fans in a state of pure confusion. This year's hiccup? Those feisty jalapeños just aren't reaching their full, fiery red potential. Too many green jalapenos are being harvested, and they just don't taste or look like Sriracha's signature ripe red pepper recipe.
So, it looks like we have to endure a Sriracha-less summer, but rest assured that the beloved sauce will be back come September. In the meantime, stock up on those backup bottles before they're all gone!
