By Davey Kim, Marketplace
Hot sauce lovers everywhere are holding their breath, as the world faces the seemingly very real possibility of Sriracha-less meals. Sriracha is a hot sauce that comes in a plastic bottle with a rooster logo and bright green twist-top cap. It’s widely used in soups, sauces, pizzas, chow mein, and even cocktails, as it gives any bland dish a delicious kick.
Sriracha
On Nov. 22, a judge is set to hear a request from the southern California city of Irwindale to close the hot sauce’s factory because of complaints over smell from neighbors.
Later this month, Marketplace will air a story about the company and the smelly legal situation it’s in.
But until then, meet David Tran, a refugee from South Vietnam, who relies on his atypical business sensibilities to quietly run the multi-million dollar private company.
Q: Did you ever think your company, Huy Fong Foods, was going to be so influential in the food world?
A: “No. Like a tree, it grows from a very small to a bigger one, but you watch daily. You don’t feel surprised.”
Q: What makes your Sriracha flavor so special?
A: “My Sriracha hot sauce is more than 80 percent chili and jalapeño, unlike others which are mostly water and not fresh…[also] the flavor of the jalapeño we use is special. [It’s different from] the jalapeño from Mexico or Vietnam because the sun [in] California.”
Read the full story by Davey Kim from Marketplace.
