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“After reassessing our supply of chilies, we have determined that the colour of the chilies is too green to continue production as it affects the colour of the product,” HSBC said in a letter to customers. release online.
A local HSBC product distributor who wished to remain anonymous confirmed he had received the same letter and expected Australia to not receive HSBC products until October or November, given the level of global demand backlogs and shortages.
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This isn’t the first time Huy Fong’s hot sauce has been discontinued. In 2022 and 2023, hot sauce lovers suffered after drought in Mexico affected the red pepper crop, which required more labor and manual de-stemming. Shortages caused prices to soar to exorbitant levels, with each bottle fetching as much as $180 online in some cases.
Some customers have also complained that the flavor of the peppers has changed. That may be because peppers do change. For decades, HSBC had a long-standing relationship with Underwood Ranch, a major grower of jalapenos, until 2016, when HSBC accused Underwood Ranch of overcharging the company.
Underwood countersued and won; HSBC was forced to pay $25 million. (Underwood Hills has since launched its own hot sauce.)
As the shortage continues, local restaurants are forced to look for alternatives, while producers are cheering the gap in the market.
Madame Nhu, a small Sydney pho restaurant chain that has been open for nearly 20 years, has not used HSBC’s chilli sauce for two years, general manager Minh Nguyen said.
Madame Nhu, a Vietnamese pho restaurant.
They are not alone. Nguyen said “a lot” of Vietnamese restaurants in Australia were no longer using Huy Fong. “We found it had (reached) iconic status around the world and restaurants could barely afford to pay that much,” he said.
If it weren’t for the price, Mrs. Nguyen might have continued to use the brand, which Nguyen grew up eating. “As a brand, it represents our identity as Vietnamese immigrants to Western countries… There is a lot of sentimental value in this brand,” he said.
Ms. Nguyen now uses a Chinese brand of chili oil, Guan Yi Hua Ji, which she said makes a difference for consumers. “Since (Hui Hsin) became so popular, it’s almost become mainstream.”
A packer grabs bottles of chili sauce for packaging at the HSBC factory.Credit: Getty
Young consumers are increasingly embracing a new sauce from Vietnamese brand Chin-Su that he says tastes distinctly different from Sriracha. Could it eventually become the new hit?
“I doubt it. HSBC is already very established,” Nguyen said.
Meanwhile, local producers are finding that HSBC’s absence has helped them somewhat.
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Veteran Australian sauce maker Emelia Prendergast, 74, started her business 25 years ago by making condiments in her kitchen. Today, she produces dozens of award-winning products in the Victorian town of Kyneton, convinced that Australian-made ingredients and all-natural recipes are what Australians want and are willing to pay for.
A 482g bottle of Huy Fong hot sauce retails for $7.50 at IGA, while a 500ml jar of Prendergast’s version costs $21.
“Their prices are half ours, but we can’t keep up because our product is better,” Prendergast said.
The Victorian business owner is also keen to point out that her product contains no preservatives, unlike Huy Fong chilli sauce which contains potassium sorbate and sodium bisulfite. She believes this, and the fact that her product is Australian, will allow her to retain customers who once favoured Huy Fong.
“We need to look at what’s happening domestically, in Australia,” she said. “I think we’ve been deceived and brainwashed by what’s being imported from overseas and we’ve become so used to it that we haven’t even taken the time to look at what we’re consuming.”
“There’s never a shortage of Sriracha.”
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