Attention fellow SoCal Sriracha fans! There will be a hearing at Irwindale City Hall on Wednesday, February 26 to address the alleged odors coming from the Huy Fong Foods plant. Fans of Huy Fong Foods and its iconic Sriracha hot chile sauce are encouraged to attend the meeting to show their support. The company has maintained that there is no odor being emitted, posting a banner outside of their factory that reads: “No Tear Gas Made Here”, and offering free tours to fans who’d like to see "how [their] Sriracha is made and how delicious it smells". 

SAVE SRIRACHA! Rally — Wednesday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Irwindale City Hall
5050 N. Irwindale Ave., Irwindale, CA

Resolution No. 2014-07-2667

A resolution of the City Council of the City of Irwindale California, declaring its intent to conduct a public hearing on February 26, 2014 at 6:30 pm at the city council chambers, Irwindale City Hall to determine whether any noxious, irritating or offensive odors [allegedly] emanating from the Huy Fong Foods, Inc. facility at 4800 Azusa Canyon Road, Irwindale, California constitutes a public nuisance.

Huy Fong Foods Invites Sriracha Fans to Visit Irwindale Factory 

As many diehard Sriracha fans know, Huy Fong Foods has been in a bit of a legal battle with the city of Irwindale, CA for the past several months. The city contends that Huy Fong Foods’ new factory—they recently relocated from Rosemead, CA—is emitting an odor that is irritating to local residents. (I’ve never smelled anything outside of the factory during my numerous visits.) And while the city has added a “breach of contract” charge to its lawsuit, it still looks as though Huy Fong Foods is prepared to defend their business, insisting that they’ve done nothing wrong, and that there is no offensive odor coming from their factory.

In fact, they want to prove it. Just into my inbox is this note from Huy Fong Foods asking fans to come see—and smell—for themselves. Here’s your golden ticket…

Dear Sriracha Friends: 

After many months of transitioning from Rosemead and testing our new equipment, we are pleased to announce that we are now ready to invite visitors to our new building in Irwindale. Therefore, if you are interested in seeing how our Sriracha is made and how delicious it smells, we would cordially like to invite you, at your convenience, to see our facility during our regular office visiting hours, which is Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 3 pm. Please feel free to call customer service at (626) 286-8328 to schedule an appointment. We look forward to seeing you. 

Best regards, 

HUY FONG FOODS, INC.

Willy Wonka is opening the gates! By all means, get yourself a factory tour! And if you can’t make it in person, feel free to check out the pics from my visit to the massive 650,000 square foot Sriracha mecca:

Slideshow: Huy Fong Foods Factory Tour

The Los Angeles Times reports that residents of Irwindale near the new Huy Fong Foods factory have lodged complaints about headaches and burning eyes, which they allege are the result of the emissions coming from the hot sauce production facility.

“The city of Irwindale filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, claiming that the odor was a public nuisance and asking a judge to stop production until the smell can be reduced.”

I visited the factory a few weeks back with my friend Josh Lurie from FoodGPS.com, and while we could definitely smell the Sriracha being made once we stepped inside the factory’s production areas, neither of us noticed any such aroma outside the facility. In fact, I remember the smell being much more apparent from the outside of their previous Rosemead location, and I always loved rolling my windows down as I approached.

We’ll see what happens as the story progresses, but I’m hopeful that it doesn’t halt Sriracha production or cause any delays. Huy Fong Foods relies on fresh chiles for its Sriracha—100 million pounds’ worth this year—which are all grown by Underwood Family Farms. They are trucked directly to Huy Fong Foods from the farm, and are washed, processed, and turned into hot sauce immediately, at the peak of their freshness. Harvest season for their jalapeño hybrid peppers is almost over, but they still have plenty more deliveries scheduled which will help ensure supply for next year. An action by the court could cut into that supply.

Get the full story from the Los Angeles Times

View pictures from my tour of Huy Fong Foods