Huy Fong Foods to start making Sriracha in Texas?

A state representative from Texas has invited Huy Fong Foods, makers of a popular Sriracha sauce, to move its operations to the state.

By Jenn Harris

Jan. 7, 2014 3:34 PM PT

Could there be a Sriracha boom in Texas? Sriracha BBQ does sound like a great idea.

Texas state Rep. Jason Villalba says he has asked Huy Fong Foods, the makers of the Sriracha hot sauce with the rooster on the label and the green cap, to move operations to his state.

Late last year, Huy Fong Foods was ordered to partially shut down after the city of Irwindale filed suit and claimed the plant’s chile odors were a public nuisance. Villalba is hoping the company would be interested in moving, and has sent owner David Tran a letter with an official invitation.

“As a public official and a corporate attorney for small businesses, I am extremely troubled by excessive government interference in the operations of private, job-creating businesses like Huy Fong Foods,” wrote Villalba in his letter. “You have worked too hard and have helped too many people to let government bureaucrats shut down your thriving business.”

Tran was unavailable for comment, and his office said it had not received the letter.

Villalba, who has been in office for a little under a year, happens to be a Sriracha fan, but he’s looking to move the company for more than personal reasons. He notes in his letter that in Texas there are no personal or corporate state income taxes and a plentiful non-union labor pool. He also mentions that Forbes Magazine named Texas the best climate in the country to grow a business.

“The great state of Texas would welcome you and your employees with open arms if you would consider moving...” reads the letter. “...Texas could provide you with exactly what you need to continue to grow, build and maximize the opportunities of Huy Fong Foods.”

Here’s at least one hitch: Huy Fong has been buying peppers from the same Southern California farm for decades. The peppers arrive at the plant within hours of being harvested and are used quickly after that.

Villalba offered to have Texas dignitaries visit Huy Fong Foods to discuss the matter in greater detail.

Do you think Huy Fong Foods should move to Texas? Let us know in the comments below.

Like your news spicy? Follow me on Twitter: @Jenn_Harris_

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