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SRIRACHA plant in Irwindale, CA in trouble

andiesenji

By andiesenji
in Kitchen Consumer

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huiray

huiray

Posted
Posted (edited)

I confess I am not sure why there is such a following for Rooster Sauce here in the USA.  I don't find it that remarkable or exceptional or transcendent in nature which would seem to be what some people (including various chefs - Michael Symon comes to mind) ascribe it to be.  There are any number of other commercially available chilli sauces out there (let alone whatever concoctions one whips up oneself) which deserve equal billing at the least, if not surpassing Rooster Sauce in deliciousness.  My 2 cents worth.  So as far as I am concerned if Huy Fong is forced to cease operations in Irvindale I can only shrug.  I'm sure they would relocate in that event, but I won't be stocking up on the  sauce whatever happens.  My view.

Edited by huiray (log)
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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

Posted
Posted

Huiray, I think the reason why people (including myself) like this sauce is because of its versatility. Sure, there are a lot of good chili/spicy condiments out there, but the squeeze bottle combined with just the ample amount out heat from the right jalapenos (it isn't over the top spicy, not like some of the other asian condiments out there) plus garlic in Sriracha is why I think it has had success, that and the branding.

 

It's also a good "mixer" condiment when combined with mayo, and has had heavy culinary use in American-style Sushi preparations and other fusion cuisines

 

Sriracha is popular because people like it and because they like the branding and the packaging. You could say the same for why people like Tabasco or Texas Pete's or Frank's RedHot. You can't argue with success.

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Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Hassouni

Hassouni

Posted
Posted (edited)

I confess I am not sure why there is such a following for Rooster Sauce here in the USA.  I don't find it that remarkable or exceptional or transcendent in nature which would seem to be what some people (including various chefs - Michael Symon comes to mind) ascribe it to be.  There are any number of other commercially available chilli sauces out there (let alone whatever concoctions one whips up oneself) which deserve equal billing at the least, if not surpassing Rooster Sauce in deliciousness.  My 2 cents worth.  So as far as I am concerned if Huy Fong is forced to cease operations in Irvindale I can only shrug.  I'm sure they would relocate in that event, but I won't be stocking up on the  sauce whatever happens.  My view.

 

100%. Yo soy un hombre del Yucateco (¡Kubtil-Ik, por favor!)

 

 

As to why people like Tabasco, etc, that eludes me also. If I want chile flavored vinegar, the stuff that NC Barbecue joints serve is better.

Edited by Hassouni (log)

Alchemist/mixologist/proprietor at the Green Zone, serving craft cocktails with the flavors of the Middle East

 

my eG foodblog - Beirut and beyond

My occasionally food-related site

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chileheadmike

chileheadmike

Posted
Posted

100%. Yo soy un hombre del Yucateco (¡Kubtil-Ik, por favor!)

Now you're talking. Love that stuff. I can do without the rooster sauce. Doesn't taste good.

Still, this town seems to be shooting itself in the foot.

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That's the thing about opposum inerds, they's just as tasty the next day.

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Jason Perlow

Jason Perlow

Posted
Posted

100%. Yo soy un hombre del Yucateco (¡Kubtil-Ik, por favor!)

 

 

As to why people like Tabasco, etc, that eludes me also. If I want chile flavored vinegar, the stuff that NC Barbecue joints serve is better.

The yucateco product is nice. But horrible packaging and their hottest of the sauces (the brown one) is very unappetizing looking. I still use it though.

Tabasco has a huge following in Louisiana along with Crystal and various other similar hot sauces and is an important condiment for gumbo and all sorts of things. Tabasco itself is unique because it takes a year to make, they have to salt barrel cure the peppers. All the other vinegar based ones are "fresh" made in one day.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted

I think that they should move out of that city and state.

I'll bet Texas would have them.  :cool: 

 

Excellent suggestion.  Yes, we'd love to have them and the jobs they provide.

 

Besides, us Texicans ain't afraid of a little ol' hot chile aroma.

 

:cool:

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I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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There are a lot of people in the city who are completely baffled by the complaints and THEY live right in the neighborhood where the plant is sited.

 

Employees are unhappy because they want to keep their jobs.  The local news people (from KCAL Ch. 9) reported that they tried to find the people

   (They can find only FOUR households that complained but the city refuses to release the addresses.)

who were complaining and they tried to canvass at neighboring homes but could get no indication that ANY of the people in the immediate area were the people who actually complained.

Five media people have been given tours of the plant and none of them complained about a "stench" - only a little burning of the eyes, easily prevented by the goggles handed out and those people were right next to the open vats of crushed peppers.

 

Here's a more complete article.

 

An interesting side note:  Irwindale for many years did no pursue action against a wire manufacturing company that was repeatedly, over more than a decade, dumping polluted water containing high levels of acidic TOXINS into storm drains and also onto open ground where it could seep into ground water.

It took action by LOS ANGELES COUNTY  to get the company supposedly into line - and they got a FINE of less than $2K!.  So when they claim to be so "caring" of the city's "air quality"

 

And a huge gravel pit - that could be seen from the 201 Freeway, was always causing dust clouds to drift over the residential areas and sometimes affected visibility on the freeway itself.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted

The politicians in my area (southern San Joaquin Valley) have expressed interest in moving the plant here.

We have the nation's second worst air quality already...what's a little chile pepper gas mixed in?  :laugh:

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“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted

I just hope they all work it out. I was late to the sriracha party, but now keep it in the fridge all the time. I like that it's mild enough that you don't have to be too careful, it has a prominent garlic flavor, and hardly any acid, so it won't throw off the flavor balance while upping the heat. And come on, who doesn't love the rooster?

Notes from the underbelly

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MSRadell

MSRadell

Posted
Posted

 

it looks like the only problem would be the supply of peppers.  it doesn't seem like that would be an insurmountable problem, even if they couldn't find a suitable local supplier, shipping peppers from the presence of prior in California would be a huge problem.

I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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I phoned the Irwindale City Manager's office: 626-430-2217 -- His name is John Davidson, Receiptionist(sic) Clerk is Claudia Gallardo and Executive Assistant is Laura Snyder.   (Obviously someone needs some spell check instruction to learn how to accurately spell receptionist!) 

 

I expressed my opinion that only a bunch of idiots would drive a THRIVING BUSINESS away from the city to please what appears to be FOUR individual home owners. 

Not only will they lose taxes from the company, if the workers no longer have jobs and own homes (several who work there are homeowners) and without jobs will not be able to pay local taxes, the city is going to LOSE REVENUE!

 

Such stupidity is incomprehensible.  On their "Business & Development" page they seem to be trying to ATTRACT BUSINESSES.  Frankly, I think they are insane. 

 

Over the weekend I met and had a chat with some folks visiting relatives here.  One guy is a motorsports event manager and said they had been contemplating an event at the Irwindale Raceway in 2015 but after seeing this on the news, decided to take the event to Las Vegas because several board members are huge fans of Sriracha and absolutely refuse to take an event that will generate a lot of income for locals into Irwindale. 

Edited by andiesenji (log)
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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

"""    One guy is a motorsports event manager and said they had been contemplating an event at the Irwindale Raceway in 2015 but after seeing this on the news, decided to take the event to Las Vegas because several board members are huge fans of Sriracha and absolutely refuse to take an event that will generate a lot of income for locals into Irwindale.   """

 

I hope this guy made a few calls first. and sent a letter to any and all local officials.

 

a single out of the area person cant do a lot.

 

but loosing a 'sponsoring' deal might.

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

also, a letter from MoSport to the local paper would work.

 

after all, politicians, are, well, politicians.

 

who knows what their real interest is.

 

sometimes they have to be told.

 

locally.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

David Tran, the CEO of Huy Fong, says he escaped from Vietnam almost 35 years ago to be free of the communist government there and its many intrusions.

"Today, I feel almost the same. Even now, we live in [the] USA, and my feeling, the government, not a big difference," Tran says.

 

Yep, David, I agree, I'm so sorry it's come to this.....unfortunately, it's likely going to get worse....probably much worse.

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/05/12/311719864/sriracha-maker-says-factory-will-remain-in-california

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~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
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Posted (edited)

Apparently the local state representative bent Gov. Brown's ear about the stupidity of a small needy city allowing a tiny fraction of the population to dictate rules for industry in the city.  Some local residents speculated that there were never any complaints about the dust and dirt blowing over the city from the Durban rock plant or United Rock - the 300 acre granite busting plant right in the center of the city, which inconveniences many more residents as well as drivers on the 210 freeway, from those families who seem so concerned about the local "environment."  One guy said that he has to keep his new car covered, even in the garage because otherwise it will be covered with dust and grit and he asked "why don't they do something about that? - maybe because two of the city council are heavily invested in the rock quarry...

This same guy also said that one reporter, who interviewed him, told him last year that the first complaints from those same four households were filed BEFORE the plant even took delivery of the pepper crop and were doing no grinding.  He lives a bit more than 400 yards from the plant and says he has noticed a little irritation from time to time in the fall but nothing as annoying as the dust and grit blowing from the quarry when the big machines are operating.

 

It seems to me like the company has a good reason to file a "restraint of trade" suit. 

Edited by andiesenji (log)
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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted

It's supposedly a done deal as of today...the plant will stay in Irwindale and the "public nuisance" charges will be dropped by the city council. 

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“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

"Sriracha war cools down as California city drops lawsuit

Irwindale city council votes to drop public nuisance declaration, bringing effective end to spicy air dispute with Huy Fong Foods"

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/29/sriracha-war-coolsc-california-lawsuit-drop

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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  • 11 months later...
Porthos

Porthos

Posted
Posted

I discovered something about the location of the Sriracha plant in Irwindale. It is located about a half mile south from where the Southern California Renaissance Pleasure Faire is held. In the spring I am there on-site Friday evening-Sunday evening and drop off supplies there during the week. Faire 2015 ended last Sunday.  If there was any kind of odor problem, this year or previously, I would have noticed it. I didn't know how close they are because I normally do not drive down the street where they are located.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

;

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radtek

radtek

Posted
Posted

Well didn't anyone notice that while all this mess was going on several other "Rooster/Sriracha-style" products suddenly appeared on the market? Always looked to me like this snafu was influenced by other corporations special interest wanting to "horn" in on the sriracha sauce business. Of which IMO Huy Fong has the absolute best and original mass-market product. Hands down deserving of their huge market-share...

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