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Previous to the past couple of months, I had never seen any interviews with the founder of Sriracha. The Google Trends data also shows a big increase for search

by murtza 13y ago

Previous to the past couple of months, I had never seen any interviews with the founder of Sriracha. The Google Trends data also shows a big increase for searches on his company, Huy Fong Foods. http://www.google.com/trends/explore?q=Huy+Fong+Foods#q=Huy%20Fong%20Foods&cmpt=q http://www.google.com/trends/explore?q=Huy+Fong+Foods#q=Huy%... Aside from increasing awareness about his product, why do you think he started doing interviews?

jasonlotito 13y ago
> why do you think he started doing interviews? > On Nov. 22, a judge is set to hear a request from the southern California city of Irwindale to close the hot sauce’s factory because of complaints over smell from neighbors.
- murtza 13y ago
  Thanks. I skipped over the first section when I read the article.
bmelton 13y ago
Apparently his factory is being threatened with shutdowns because it makes all the surrounding properties smell like Sriracha. Edit - apparently the judge denied the shutdown, possibly in part to the huge amount of outpouring by the community. http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/56374/sriracha-lawsuit-factory-shut-down http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/56374/sriracha-lawsuit-fac...
- murtza 13y ago
  Thanks for the link. It makes sense now.
jonknee 13y ago
> Besides increasing awareness about his product, why do you think he started doing interviews? Because he's in court facing a factory shutdown?
potatolicious 13y ago
This may be a legitimate grassroots social media phenomenon - the sort that big multinationals try to create but fail at. Sriracha has obviously been a mainstay at Asian restaurants for years. But like bacon, it didn't become A Thing until Digg/Reddit/the greater internet subculture rolled around. Folks like the Oatmeal started writing digital love letters to the sauce[1], which helped boost its mythical status amongst the Reddit crowd. I'm guessing he started doing interviews when people actually started wanting to interview him. Prior to the internet's obsession with sriracha it was just an easily-overloooked condiment associated with Asian food. [1] http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha
- dasil003 13y ago
  I remember sriracha being a thing back in 99/00 we were eating boatloads of the stuff on ramen noodles. Of course I had friends who were waiters and bartenders, so that might have had something to do with it.
- JoblessWonder 13y ago
  Before Digg/Reddit/The Internet every college kid in California was obsessed with it. I still an old roommate who travels around the world with her own little bottle in case she can't find it locally. I remember an article from around 2009 where he talks about the drunken voicemails he received. It was in the NY Times so it isn't like they have been hiding. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3& http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3&
- notatoad 13y ago
  I'm pretty sure bacon has been a thing for longer than the internet.
- ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
  Sriracha has become the new 'bacon' lately. Oatmeal has been proclaiming it for quite some time, with (I believe) another cartoon being written earlier this summer. Combine that with the 'Big Government versus little sauce' angle and you have a situation Slacktivists froth at the mouth for.
BryantD 13y ago
He's been doing marketing for ages. Search back on HN a bit; every six months or so someone links to a new profile piece on him and his business. He's just really good at PR.

by murtza 13y ago

jasonlotito 13y ago

> why do you think he started doing interviews? > On Nov. 22, a judge is set to hear a request from the southern California city of Irwindale to close the hot sauce’s factory because of complaints over smell from neighbors.

murtza 13y ago
Thanks. I skipped over the first section when I read the article.

bmelton 13y ago

Apparently his factory is being threatened with shutdowns because it makes all the surrounding properties smell like Sriracha. Edit - apparently the judge denied the shutdown, possibly in part to the huge amount of outpouring by the community. http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/56374/sriracha-lawsuit-factory-shut-down http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/56374/sriracha-lawsuit-fac...

murtza 13y ago
Thanks for the link. It makes sense now.

jonknee 13y ago

> Besides increasing awareness about his product, why do you think he started doing interviews? Because he's in court facing a factory shutdown?

potatolicious 13y ago

This may be a legitimate grassroots social media phenomenon - the sort that big multinationals try to create but fail at. Sriracha has obviously been a mainstay at Asian restaurants for years. But like bacon, it didn't become A Thing until Digg/Reddit/the greater internet subculture rolled around. Folks like the Oatmeal started writing digital love letters to the sauce[1], which helped boost its mythical status amongst the Reddit crowd. I'm guessing he started doing interviews when people actually started wanting to interview him. Prior to the internet's obsession with sriracha it was just an easily-overloooked condiment associated with Asian food. [1] http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha http://theoatmeal.com/comics/sriracha

dasil003 13y ago
I remember sriracha being a thing back in 99/00 we were eating boatloads of the stuff on ramen noodles. Of course I had friends who were waiters and bartenders, so that might have had something to do with it.
JoblessWonder 13y ago
Before Digg/Reddit/The Internet every college kid in California was obsessed with it. I still an old roommate who travels around the world with her own little bottle in case she can't find it locally. I remember an article from around 2009 where he talks about the drunken voicemails he received. It was in the NY Times so it isn't like they have been hiding. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3& http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?_r=3&
notatoad 13y ago
I'm pretty sure bacon has been a thing for longer than the internet.
ChikkaChiChi 13y ago
Sriracha has become the new 'bacon' lately. Oatmeal has been proclaiming it for quite some time, with (I believe) another cartoon being written earlier this summer. Combine that with the 'Big Government versus little sauce' angle and you have a situation Slacktivists froth at the mouth for.

BryantD 13y ago

He's been doing marketing for ages. Search back on HN a bit; every six months or so someone links to a new profile piece on him and his business. He's just really good at PR.