At its best, a green-topped bottle of Huy Fong Foods Sriracha sauce means your fridge always harbors possibilities. Even a cheese sandwich or cold slice of pizza benefits from its hot-sweet kick. At worst, Sriracha is an addiction, a crutch you can't stop using. The heat and touch of sugar — lip-numbing but not super-spicy — adds the same little something to almost anything, and it takes some willpower to avoid reaching for the bottle every time you make a quick plate of eggs or pasta.

Starting next month, Huy Fong Foods, originally established in Chinatown, will be making the legendary sauce at a new $40 million, 650,000 square-foot location in the San Gabriel Valley — Irwindale, specifically. The factory will be cranking fully by September. Built in 2011, the building has been outfitted with custom-designed equipment founder David Tran has apparently installed himself.

With gurgling jets of Sriracha soon pouring forth from Tran's new factory (we imagine Wonka's river of chocolate but red, a little smoke curling up from the surface), one can only imagine that the business will grow. The company won't be getting too comfortable. According to this article, Huy Fong Foods expands by 20% each year, and Tran guesses there will be “no more room” come 2017.

More fun with Sriracha:

Sriracha Food Fight: Trader Joe's vs. Huy Fong

Cookbook Review: The Sriracha Cookbook, Released Today, For Your Red Rooster Fix

Sriracha Lollipops: Sucking on a Bottle of Hot Sauce

5 Sriracha-Inspired Fashion Accessories


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