Hot Mess - Sri Racha Chili sauce
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Interesting article about Sri Racha chili sauce. The sauce maker had one single supplier of chilies and the for the farmer of the chillies, Sri Racha sauce was his only client. Things went well until they didn't.
Kind of a long article. (PS If you dont have a subscription to Fortune Magazine, you can use "reader" view to read it.)
https://fortune.com/2024/01/30/sriracha-shortage-huy-fong-foods-tabasco-underwood-ranches/
ONe thing i learned is that I thought the man who started the chili sauce business just forgot to trademark the Sri Racha name. The article indicates that because it is the name of a town (Sri Racha in Thailand), it could not be trademarked.
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Huy Fong Foods, maker of the Sriracha sauce that comes in rooster-adorned, green-capped bottles, says it has halted production until after Labor Day, sparking fears of another shortage.
The California company blamed the popular condiment's production woes on the red jalapeño chile peppers that deliver the hot sauce's tangy sweet heat. They aren't red enough, according to Huy Fong Foods.
“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,” it told wholesale buyers in a letter this week obtained by USA TODAY. Huy Fong Foods does not sell directly to consumers.
“We regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labor Day, when our next chili season starts,” the letter continued.
