In a fiery twist of fate (see what we did there?), sriracha enthusiasts across the nation are facing a spicy dilemma (did it again): a shortage of their beloved hot sauce.
Huy Fong Foods, Inc., a leading sriracha sauce manufacturer based in California, has been grappling with disruptions in the chili supply chain for the second consecutive year. The culprit? Droughts in Mexico decimating crucial pepper crops.
As sriracha bottles have become increasingly scarce, opportunistic resellers on eBay and Amazon are capitalizing on the situation. Listings for single bottles are commanding exorbitant prices, with some reaching as high as $70, not including shipping.
The online marketplace has become a battleground for hot sauce enthusiasts, with sponsored sellers on eBay securing top search result placements by paying a percentage of their sale price to the auction website. Recent sales have seen 9-ounce bottles go for $26.98, 17-ounce two-packs priced at $54.49, and 28-ounce two-packs fetching a whopping $71.99.
Amazon, too, is seeing numerous resellers listing Huy Fong’s Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce for inflated prices. Huy Fong Foods has issued a statement acknowledging the shortage, blaming a cascade of events, including unexpected crop failures during the spring chili harvest.
“Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products,” a representative of Huy Fong Foods said. “We are still endeavoring to resolve this issue that has be caused by several spiraling events, including unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest. We hope for a fruitful fall season and thank our customers for their patience and continued support during this difficult time.”
Huy Fong Foods, credited with introducing sriracha sauce to the American market in 1980, faces an uphill battle as droughts continue to wreak havoc on their Mexican suppliers’ chili pepper crops.
