If you’re a fan of Huy Fong sriracha, you may have been wondering why you haven’t been able to find it at your local Coles or Woolworths in recent months.
Its disappearance from supermarket shelves is not an indication that its cult-like popularity is waning, but rather is a supply issue.
Huy Fong Foods Inc actually warned in April that its supply of chilli had been deemed “too green” and, as a result, the US company said was halting its sriracha production at least until September.
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And with existing stocks now running low, shoppers are noticing the absence of the sauce.
“After re-evaluating our supply of chilli, we have determined that it is too green to proceed with production as it is affecting the colour of the product,” the company said in April.
“Although this does not affect the quality and flavour of the sauce, we regret to inform you that we have decided to halt production until after Labour Day (the first Monday of September in the US), when our next chilli season starts.”
Huy Fong chilli garlic sauce and sambal oelek sauce have also been impacted.
Woolworths confirmed to 7NEWS.com.au that it has not stocked Huy Fong sriracha for several months.
All Huy Fong products are listed as out of stock on both Woolworths and Coles websites.
Many fans are rationing their supplies of the sauce or seeking alternatives.
“I’m down to my last 1–2 bottles of (original) Huy Fong Sriracha and needing a replacement,” one person wrote on the Subreddit r/sriracha.
Woolworths said it sells other brands of sriracha — such as Flying Goose, Trident and Tiao Hu — however, for die-hard Huy Fong fans they are just not the same.
It is not the first time Huy Fong sauce has been plagued by production issues.
It temporarily suspended sales of its sriracha and other sauces in 2022 amid a chilli shortage due to poor weather conditions in California, New Mexico and Mexico.
The shortage lasted into 2023 and stocks were slow to pick up even when limited production resumed in July.
In a letter sent to customers in 2022, Huy Fong pointed to an email it sent in 2020 regarding similar issues with its chilli supply caused by weather conditions.
Huy Fong was founded in 1980 in California by Vietnamese refugee David Tran.
For 30 years its chilli supply was sourced from California’s Underwood Ranches, a farm owned by Craig Underwood.
But the long-term relationships ended amid a legal battle that began in 2017.
Huy Fong accused Underwood of not returning an overpayment of about $1.5 million from the 2016 season, while Underwood alleged Huy Fong breached contracts between the two companies.
Two years later, a jury awarded $23.3 million to Underwood Ranches after it found Huy Fong had breached its contract with the supplier and also committed fraud.
Huy Fong Foods Inc has been contacted for further comment.