Huy Fong Inc.’s signature Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce is noticeably missing from shelves and restaurants, and the company has announced they are halting production.
The California-based company that makes the beloved sauce has chalked the problems up to issues with this year’s chili pepper harvest.
“We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has been caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest,” the company said in a statement to CNN.
First created in 1980 by David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant, Huy Fong Inc. is seen as a leader in the Asian sauce market. Their Sriracha Chili Hot Sauce started as a niche condiment for those in the know, and quickly catapulted to a household name, almost completely through word of mouth.
They are currently not taking orders from distributors until the end of summer, when they will hopefully have recouped some of their supply. Huy Fong has also had to halt production of the Chili Garlic sauce and their Sambal Oelek Chili Paste.
The specific shortage is due to a large-scale failed chili pepper harvest in Northern Mexico, which is where all of the chilies used in Sriracha come from. Chilies grown in this area or only grown during the first few months of the year, and need near-constant irrigation. Due to the fact that parts of Mexico are experiencing their “worst drought in 30 years,” they have not had the water needed to grow these crops.
There is also fear that if this drought continues, Americans may experience shortages of other crops produced in the area, including avocados and tomatoes.
Hardcore Sriracha fans are not taking this news well at all, especially as the shortage has no clear end in sight.
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