By Matthew Hoffman
Will Sriracha soon only be for the rich and beautiful?!
The cult chili sauce is currently traded in the USA for a lot of money. As CNN reports, the agitator costs up to 70 dollars (equivalent to 64 euros) on ebay. At Amazon it’s even 124 dollars (makes 113 euros), but there is at least a two-pack.
Typically, a small bottle of Sriracha — named after the coastal town of the same name in Thailand — costs less than five dollars. The question arises: Where does the crazy price explosion of fiery red liquid gold come from?
Sriracha company reports chili emergency
Surprisingly simple answer: The manufacturer Huy Fong Foods reports a chili emergency. Traditionally, Sriracha sauce is made from vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic.
When asked by CNN, the Irwindale, California-based company said, “Although some production resumed last fall, we still have a limited supply.”
Sriracha deficiency is ‘unprecedented’
It is not yet known when more plastic bottles with the green lid will be available again. The current shortage is “unprecedented”. Huy Fong Foods is working to “avoid future shortages”. At peak times, around 18,000 bottles of the turbo-hot sauce left the factory – every hour.
The company was founded by David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant. “I arrived in January 1980, in February I made gravy,” the 78-year-old told SBS News.
Sriracha boss is a billionaire
Tran is now a billionaire thanks to his Sriracha sauces. He has never forgotten his roots: he named the company after the boat in which he fled the socialist country with 3,000 other people. The heraldic animal of the bottles is adorned with its Chinese zodiac sign, a rooster.
The chili genius said of his motivation: “I wanted to make a rich man’s sauce for a poor man’s wallet.”
Unfortunately, the Sriracha boss cannot keep his promise at the current prices.