By Clark 
Sriracha chili sauce has been a highly sought-after product in the United States for more than a decade. Introduced in 1980 as a specialized product available mostly in Asian grocery stores, the spicy Thai-style sauce eventually gained national recognition and was named “Ingredient of the Year” by Bon Appetit magazine in 2009.
Their famous flavor inspired numerous derivative items, ranging from chips and nuts to popcorn, as well as salad dressing and yogurt.
However, it has likely never been as coveted as it is presently. A persistent supply problem has enthusiasts urgently seeking the iconic green-capped bottles featuring the rooster emblem.
Online resellers are allegedly exploiting the scarcity by imposing “exorbitant prices” for the popular sauce produced by California’s Huy Fong Foods on platforms such as eBay and Amazon, as reported by Fox Business.
Bottles previously priced at $5 or less are suddenly being pushed up to $30 or more, according to the outlet.
A brief examination of eBay listings corroborated this. The bidding for a 28-ounce bottle increased from $30 to $75 on Thursday. Simultaneously, a 12-pack of identically sized bottles garnered a top bid of $415, reflecting a 137% increase from its initial listing price of $175.
Manufacturer Huy Fong attributed the “unprecedented inventory shortage” to several factors, including “unexpected crop failure from the spring chili harvest.” The corporation reiterated this argument in a statement to Fox Business: “We are still striving to resolve this issue….”We anticipate a productive autumn season and express our gratitude to our consumers for their patience and ongoing support throughout this challenging period.
Craig Underwood, a California pepper grower who exclusively provided Huy Fong with red jalapeños for its renowned sauce for decades, has described the company’s chili scarcity as “self-inflicted.” In 2019, Underwood secured a $23 million judgment against Huy Fong for breach of contract following the unexpected termination of their long-standing collaboration.
Underwood is now among numerous producers promoting his own brand of Sriracha sauce, while Huy Fong faces challenges in fulfilling demand.