Sriracha hot sauce selling for $120 amid chili pepper shortage

The popular Sriracha hot sauce is selling for up to $120 on secondhand markets, outraging customers as the company is dealing with a prolonged shortage of the chilis used to make the sauce. 

Typically, a 17-ounce bottle of Sriracha sells for about $5. Yet recently, a 28-ounce rooster-adorned bottle of the red sauce is selling for up to $70 on eBay, while a 17-ounce bottle is starting from $39.98, not including the shipping costs.

On Amazon, prices are even higher, selling for up to $124 for a two-pack of 17-ounce bottles. 

Huy Fong Foods, the company that makes the sauce, said the price increase is due to a years-long shortage of raw materials. 

“Although some production did resume this past fall season, we continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect our production. At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase,” a Huy Fong spokesperson said.

“We are grateful for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented inventory shortage. We are currently working on trying to avoid future shortages,” the company added.

For almost three years, the red chili peppers Huy Fong Foods uses in its sauce have been in short supply due to weather conditions. While it is unclear where Huy Fong gets its peppers from, several locations that produce chiles have been affected due to drought. 

"Currently, due to weather conditions affecting the quality of chili peppers, we now face a more severe shortage of chili," Huy Fong wrote in a letter to consumers last year. "Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products."

The popular Sriracha sauce by Huy Fong was created in the 1980s by a Chinese immigrant from Vietnam, David Tran. Since its creation, it has become a cult favorite. The shortage has left many customers hoping to find their beloved bottles of the hot sauce at a decent price. 

"Ever since the Sriracha shortage, my food hasn't been hitting the same," a saddened consumer tweeted.

"Putting Sriracha on the list of things I won't get to enjoy for at least a couple years because of climate change," one user on Twitter said Thursday.