‘WHAT HAPPENED’: Woman goes to the grocery store. Then she sees the Huy Fong Sriracha
Huy Fong's beloved sriracha isn't quite the right color anymore. The reason for the change is loaded with drama.
Founded in 1980 by Cantonese refugee David Tran, Huy Fong Sriracha rose to popularity in the early 2000s.
It became known for its blend of spice, sweetness, and tanginess in an iconic (and easily recognizable) squeeze bottle.
Why is Huy Fong Sriracha brown now?
Relying on word of mouth over paid advertising, the sriracha found a home on restaurant tables as Asian-American cuisine boomed and made its way into the mainstream, being integrated into all types of dishes like scrambled eggs, mac and cheese, sushi rolls, and even ice cream.
"The rooster bottle is to sriracha what Heinz is to ketchup," the Takeout reported.
But the hot sauce empire that took decades to build has fallen in a matter of a few years.
Its downfall started with a lawsuit over money. An alleged change in flavor in recent years seems to be the nail in the coffin.
Customers notice a distinct change
In a viral video with more than 723,000 views, TikTok user Ari (@arielllin) noticed something was off with the sriracha bottles she was used to getting.
The Huy Fong Sriracha on shelves is no longer the signature bright red, and is instead distinctly greenish brown.
"Can someone tell me why sriracha is brown? Like, what happened?" Ari asked, sounding disappointed.
It starts with drama over pepper prices
Remember the sriracha shortages that loomed throughout the pandemic? Sriracha bottles were scarce on grocery store shelves, and some people started to resell them online for upwards of $150.
The company claimed they were impacted by environmental issues, like drought, but it turns out it was a man-made issue.
See, Underwood Ranches in California was Huy Fong's sole chili supplier for 28 years, but the longstanding partnership ended after Huy Fong sued Underwood in 2017 for allegedly overcharging for the previous year's pepper harvest.
Underwood countersued for fraud and breach of contract.
While the court did find that Huy Fong overpaid by $1.4 million, the company ended up owing a lot more than that in the end.
The court ruled in Underwood's favor, and Huy Fong had to pay a whopping $23 million plus.
"There would be no sriracha shortage at all if Underwood and Huy Fong hadn't fallen out," Underwood told NBC.
How does this connect to the new brown sriracha?
Huy Fong found a new supplier, but it's just not the same as before. The supplier delivered an "unsatisfactory batch of peppers" that were too green.
Without the red pepper, they're used to, the signature red color goes away, and more importantly, fans say the spice is much too mild.
Plot twist, Underwood also started producing its own sauce, but some say it's just not that good.
Since Huy Fong started the sriracha boom, multiple brands have tried to get their piece of the market by launching their own versions.
For a Huy Fong alternative, the Takeout recommends the Roland or Tabasco sriracha.
Commenters react
"The owner tried to cheat the farmer who grew the specific red jalapeños, so no, he’s got to use what he can get, which is regular jalapeños mixed with red," a person said.
"It’s so sad, but I get the Trader Joe’s one now," another wrote.
"Uh, I bought some like last week and it looked normal," a commenter added.
@arielllin WHAT HAPPENED TO SRIRACHA???? #sriracha #wtff #viral #brownsriracha #whatsgoingon ♬ original sound - baby ari????
The Daily Dot reached out to Ari for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Huy Fong via email.
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